Unveiling the Indian Transgender Community

Intricately woven amongst the vast spiderweb of life that links all our lustrous strings together, lie communities, whose luminescence diversifies themselves away from the society's conventional radiance, whose luminescence is so stigmatized, that they are driven out of the society, exactly how on a spiderweb a venomous spider would brutally jab its venom into its prey, until it's killed…from the inside.

These communities can be found all across the world, labeled as 'Fa'afafine' in Samoa, 'Muxe' in Mexico, 'Bakla' in the Philippines, 'Sekrata' in Madagascar, 'Two-Spirit' in North America, 'Hijras' or 'Kinnars' in India and a following plethora varying from culture to culture. Scrutinizing deeper about Kinnars, also referred to as Hijras, correspond to the transgender, eunuchs, those who castrate themselves, or intersex identities. They have had ample historical significance for a very long duration, namely, the well-respected Hindu god, Arjuna, who had represented living life as the third gender in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata.

Hijras and Kinnars are often discarded from their families who consider them as unacceptable. Thus, they have to reside along with other Hijras and Kinnars pertaining to the same background, forming a community of their own. Unfortunately, people perceive them as unhygienic and degraded, hence they are unable to procure employment anywhere, resorting to no other choice than to beg the halted cars for money at traffic lights.

These disempowered individuals originate from Hindu history but are not all Hindus; some follow Christianity and even Islam, while some accept all religions, beliefs, and practices. Discrimination based on their gender and identity makes their community one of the most ostracized groups in Indian society. However, they are deemed as embodiments of the Hindu goddess, Bahuchara Mata, and consequently are requested to provide their blessings, which are known to bestow fertility, prosperity, and long life at childbirths as well as weddings. Nevertheless, their recognition and inclusion remain a challenge as a result of partiality and prejudice.

A recent interview I conducted with the Indian third-gender community offered me a more insightful outlook on their lifestyle, treatment, culture, education, and employment. The most disheartening moment that touched me personally was when they wished, and I quote, "Kaisi bhi zindagi ho par aisi na ho!" which translates to 'Whatever life may be, it should not be like this!', which once again evokes how depressing their life is. Alas, the misunderstood hijras and kinnars face humiliation, inferiority, and unfairness in many manners.