India has a rich culture of music and dance. If transgender people were to be accepted, we needed to get India to love and accept them on the biggest stage.

Our idea was to launch India’s first transgender pop group – The 6 Pack Band. By putting them in the limelight, we wanted to show that they are just like everyone else.

Many hijras live on the outskirts of society, facing verbal abuse and discrimination every day. They face a pressure to conform and can’t be themselves. It was integral to the idea that the band released tracks about their philosophy of being happy despite the adversity they are subjected to. They sang about the importance of gender equality, reinforcing our message of breaking down barriers.

The aim was to celebrate togetherness by depicting a more welcoming world by raising awareness for India’s transgender community.

We have launched 3 songs over 3 months. The first was ‘Hum Hai Happy’, cover of Pharrell Williams’ hit. It’s a vibrant track infused with Indian rhythms, incorporating the hand-clapping gestures synonymous with hijras.

The follow up was created in collaboration with India’s top musician Sonu Nigam, ‘Sab Rab De Bande’, which translates to ‘We are all children of God’ and reinforced that all people are born equally and they should be embraced for who they are. We also recorded an acoustic version of this song, to show the credibility of the act as real singers and performers.

Soon after our YouTube launch, leading television music and radio channels played them as part of its programming.

They were available to watch and listen on live-streaming music apps Wink, Hungama, Gaana and Saavn and the top mobile operators offered the song as a caller tune, so people could show their support.

Over 10 million views of the first 3 songs on YouTube

6 Pack Band have been invited to perform live at the prestigious Radio Mirchi Music Awards, the Global Indian Music Awards and at the YouTube Fan Fest

So far, the campaign has reached over 25 million people and counting…

Total PR value earned INR 100 million ($1.5m) for the 3 songs launched

India’s biggest celebrities, including Sharukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan tweeted about 6 Pack Band and shared their videos, generating support from the world’s most renowned media

Global response to this video has been huge and overwhelmingly positive

Our aim of global awareness was achieved with universal acceptance of the 6 Pack Band

Komal Jagtap, 6 Pack Band Member: “After years of silence, my brother invited me home” and “The people who used to harass us on the street say, ‘that’s the star from 6 pack band’”