Between tradition and survival: Understanding the psychosocial dimensions of Hijra clapping ( Taali ) practices in the Kolkata Metropolitan, India

Abstract

Introduction The taali, the distinctive hand-clap of the Hijra community, occupies a paradoxical space in South Asian public life, functioning as a sonic marker of gendered identity, a ritual instrument of devotion, and a means of economic survival. Despite its cultural visibility, empirical scholarship on taali remains limited, particularly in the psychosocial domain.Methods This mixed-methods study examines the meanings, frequency, and mental health correlates of taali practices among 267 Hijra individuals in the Kolkata metropolitan area, West Bengal. Quantitative surveys captured sociodemographic characteristics, livelihood strategies, and standardized measures of perceived stigma, community belonging, and psychological distress. Qualitative in-depth interviews (n = 32) and focus group discussions (n = 6) explored emic interpretations of taali across ritual, economic, and protective contexts.Results Findings indicate that 40.1% of respondents were illiterate and 58.1% relied primarily on chholla for income, with ages ranging from 18 to 78 years. Quantitative results revealed that taali use varied across contexts, with the highest in chholla (M = 3.97) and badhai (M = 3.79), both statistically significant (p < 0.001). Taali frequency was positively associated with self-esteem (r = .41, p < .01), social support (r = .19, p < .05), psychological distress (r = .43, p < .01), and economic precarity (r = .51, p < .001), but negatively associated with monthly income (r = −.54, p < .001). These findings suggest that taali is more frequently under structural vulnerability while also reinforcing identity and social connectedness. Thematic analysis generated seven superordinate themes: cultural identity and embodied inheritance, sonic survival and the political economy of visibility, sacred–secular tensions, stigma and psychosocial ambivalence, everyday resistance and spatial claim-making, intra-community hierarchies and authenticity politics, generational transformations of taali. Overall, taali functions as a context-dependent socio-economic and performative practice rather than a purely expressive gesture.Conclusions The study conceptualizes taali as an embodied form of habitus through which Hijra individuals negotiate hypervisibility and marginality. These findings highlight the need for culturally grounded mental health interventions that address structural marginalization while recognizing the adaptive and context-specific functions of Hijra sonic practices.