Transgender people from across India recently took part in a sporting event in the central state of Chhattisgarh. (Text: Salman Ravi; Photos: Anwar Qureshi)

The All India Transgender Sports Meet was organised by the Right Turn Welfare Society, which includes well-known sportspeople from across India.

The event was held in the police parade ground in the state capital, Raipur.

The participants said they had been preparing for the event for days.

Some of them displayed exceptional sporting abilities.

The event included races and discuss throws.

This is the first time an event of this type was held for the transgender community in India.

It also included kabaddi - a field game in which two teams take turns to send a raider to the other's territory, tag members of the opposing team, and return "home" without being blocked by defenders on the other side. While he is "tagging" his opponents, the raider has to hold his breath and chant "kabaddi, kabaddi".

The event was inaugurated by Lakshmi Tripathi (c), a celebrity transgender.

Millions of transgender people live on the fringes of Indian society, ostracised because of their gender identity.