Transgenders are called hijras in India and are often discriminated against in jobs forcing them to resort to begging and prostitution. They meet in Koovagam, a village in the Ulundurpet taluk in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu in the Tamil month of Chitrai (April/May) for an annual festival which takes place for fifteen days. Tamil Nadu has made great strides in trying to integrate the transgenders into the society. This includes welfare schemes initiated by the Government and acceptance of transgenders into the mainstream media and film industry.