Having been a frequent train traveller right from eight months of birth, train journeys are something that I always enjoy - be it alone or as a group.Being a hard core South Indian and spending one and a half months in Delhi hearing "arrreyyy yaar" and " bou vadhia", I was eagerly awaiting this journey which I am going to talk about- to South-to Chennai-to HOME..
I knew this journey was going to be different under many aspects as this was my first travel in many dimensions- from hostel to home, from north to south and an official trip. It started off with the typical rattling and stinking of a general compartment of the Indian railways. Lost in the world of music, I started noticing the increased prevalence of a particular set of people- people who were being isolated from the society and by the society-even by their parents. 'Rejection without being the cause' - this is what they have been facing in life everyday for ages. And these are those people whom I consider as the wonders of God- the Transgenders.
'Hijra, chhakka. khusra, kojja, aravaani'- so many names, but none to address them, rather to point at them, abuse them!!!.
I was travelling looking at various groups of such people collecting money from various males, who were shelling out ten rupee notes to them every time, fearing the consequences if they don't.
Transgender- appears to be euphemistic, but never approached so, atleast in a country like India. Even their parents don't consider them eligible enough to stay with the family, chuck them out at ages of 14 and 15, literally not understanding the psychological change one is undergoing already. Shouldn't it be the other way round?? Isn't it true that actually its the whole family that is responsible for the genetic variation in the chromosomes of the person under concern rather than the person himself?? What can be done when we think in this angle- punish the whole family??
Transgenders become sex workers- an unwritten statement that is etched into everyone's mind. If everyone is here to look at only one side of the coin, then who is going to look at the other side- the transgenders themselves??- I'm sorry but that becomes a mirror then. They don't enjoy their life with proper food, education and of course.... facebook!!!. They face the grim realities of sexual abuse and harassment which you and me have only heard and read of!! Is it the lack of education from the parents' side that pushes them into this? Atleast, do educated parents understand the condition of their child?- The truth is 'NO'. They are more concerned about the societal image rather than the problem of their ward.
It is not enough to have one Rose and one Kalki to bring up the community. It calls for a collective effort- more from the societal side than the transgenders. The right enrichment at the right age with societalacceptance is what they all need.
Having all these thoughts in mind, I reached the land of FILTER KAAPI, the land of Super star, the land of 'idli, vada, dosa, sambar'...Passing by a transgender collecting money, I just thought,
'Had Only their family been supportive.............'
