Hearing attuned: an exploration of the sonority of the Aravan festival in India.

The paper explores the sonic aspect of the annual Aravan festival celebrated in the rural village of Koovagam, Tamil Nadu, India. The festival has gained popularity as the "Koovagam transgender festival" due to the participation of thousands of transgender women, known as Aravanikal in Tamil, from across India. The paper explores the relationship between the festival and sound by examining four distinct aspects: a patrikai (brochure), a village-specific mythical story, a unique listening experience of a group of women, and the participation of Aravanikal in the festival. The study unveils the integral role of sound, interwoven within a myth, in shaping the identity of the village. It delves into how this significance resonates within the local culture's perception of sound. The paper demonstrates that a particular group of women is excluded from participating in all sensory aspects of a ritual, except for the auditory realm. In this cultural context, sound is not subject to the same restrictions as other senses. The paper further argues that the festival has a hidden erotic dimension beneath its apparent layers, which is revealed through sounds, producing an "aural erotica" that subverts existing norms governing discussions about sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]