Teesri Dhun (The Third Tune) is documentary theatre play on transgenders in Pakistan. Khawaja saras, known as hijras, were declared a criminal tribe in the nineteenth century by British colonial laws. Despite a recent Supreme Court victory through which khawaja saras have been recognized as a distinct gender identity, they continue to be highly marginalized. Khawaja saras resistance to dominant heteronormativity has often utilized their vibrant cultural traditions – from badhai performances of dancing, singing and issuing irreverent repartee in wedding and birth ceremonies to spiritual roles at Sufi shrines. Drawing from these culturally embedded practices, Teesri Dhun offers powerful performances from its khawaja sara cast, to unfold moving narratives of history, separation, love, desire, celebration and loss to further jostle for a third space.

Teesri Dhun is an outcome of Dr. Shahnaz Khan (Wilfred Laurier University, Canada) and Dr. Claire Pamment’s (Kinnaird College for Women) research on the lives, struggles and culture of khawaja saras, and its Lahore showcase was funded by the Social Science Humanities Research Council of Canada, and produced by Olomopolo Media. 

Sponsored by: South Asia Institute, Humanities, Center for Women's & Gender Studies