My
body my right
She
is like any transgender who has lived life filled with ridicule and suffered
discrimination and a continuous fight for rights and self-respect. Revathi’s
autobiography jostles us away from our comfort zone as it reveals disturbing
aspects of life as a hijra, yearning for love and identity
Revathi
is a social worker working with Sangama, a Bangalore-based NGO that works for
sexual minorities suffering oppression. She is a transgender who has gone
through the entire cycle of understanding who she is, facing ridicule from
family and society, yet standing up to her sexuality and eventually undergoing
a sex change operation. She has lived within the closely-knit Hijra community,
learnt their customs and has witnessed and experienced a lifestyle that is
fraught with exploitation and discrimination. Today, as she stands up to her
rights as a human being and in the process fights for the rights of other
Hijras, she comes across as an ideal role model, not just for other
transgenders, but also to other marginalized sections of Indian society.
“I
am also born, like you were, to a mother and father. I also have emotions like
love and desire. I just want to be able to wear the clothes that I like and
live life that I like,” says Revathi, whose candid autobiography, ‘The Truth
About Me: A Hijra Lifestory’ published by Penguin was recently translated into
Telugu and published by Hyderabad Book Trust. “People who read the book,will
get to see our lives from close quarters and gain a better understanding of
what we are,” she says.
She
was in Hyderabad during the launch of her Telugu book. Clad in cotton Kurta
Pyjama, she was tirelessly answering the scribes, sometimes humouring them and
at other times questioning them with intensity that unfailing ruffles the
dormant human in us. “Why is it that the responsibility to make things better
always thrust on us. You can be the mother of a hijra or a friend. It is for
everyone to take up the issue and strive to change things for better. There are
still people who refuse to talk to us, give work to us, allow us at schools and
colleges. Nothing much has changed. There is ofcourse, the other side, the
positive aspect - people who are ready to listen to our story and media, which
is allowing us to speak.”
Revathi
has penned her story in the most honest and straightforward manner and the
Telugu translation ‘Nijam Cheputuna – Oka Hijra Aatma Katha’ was published by
HBT. “The book became very popular. People, after reading the book told me how
much better they understand Hijras. The book has been made into a play that has
already been staged over 85 times. And in 35 of the shows I play myself,” she
shares.
Speaking
about discrimination of Hijras, she says, “We are consideredmuch lower than
criminals. Money is important for us to live. We get a house on rent, not in
decent areas, but in slums. And we always have to pay higher rent than others.
We even pay a huge advance that is usually not returned while vacating the
house. We pay more money even to get a blouse ironed. And we need to pay money
to the local rowdy and even provide free sex. Who will give us work? There are
only two kinds of work that we can do – One group that goes around giving
blessings and good wishes (badhaayi) and the group that earns from sex work.
Both the groups are usually at logger heads. Police and rowdy elements are
other problems. Any murder or theft in the area and immediately the police
starts harassing us.”
She
further adds, “There are good and bad people in Hijras too. But unlike general
people who are judged individually; if one Hijra does a mistake, the entire
community is held responsible.”
In
the capacity of a social worker, Revathi cousels other transgenders, speaks to
them about their work and about various medical and health issues. She also
works for Female to Male transgenders. “It is even worse for them as the
parents refuse to acknowledge that their daughter is actually their son.
Further, due to physiological differences that remain despite the sex change
operation, they are at a risk of attack and rape and hence continue to remain
confined.”
There
is so much to change in terms of attitude and general behavior towards
transgenders. And Revathi does not agree that NGOs are the solution. Eventhough
she works for an NGO; she is wary of them, in general. “Government officials
are too lazy to work at field level to get proper information and execute
welfare schemes. So they take the help of NGOs to submit reports. Running an
NGO has become a business of sorts. And many of them take the easiest way by
giving preference to 10 people that they know. The government should take up TB
or HIV AIDS related awareness programmes or education related programmes
independently under the supervision of an IAS officer or collector,” she
suggests.
“Education
is a major issue. If the children had not taunted me and my parents would have
supported me, I would have been able to complete my education and had a career
for myself; instead I quit going to school. Is there a law to protect our
rights to be able to wear what we want to and live the way we want to?” she
asks probably for the umpteenth time and does not expect to be answered;
atleast not any time soon.”
- Rajeshwari Kalyanam
(Courtesy : THE HANS INDIA, November 09,2014)|
Photo: Srinivas Setty
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