Print Close Window

Rohan Swamy Posted online: Sun Dec 09 2012, 21:35 hrs

New Delhi : At a conference in Goa, transgenders share their stories and discuss empowerment plans Navya Singh stood out amidst the crowd of transgenders dancing on a cruise ship in Goa. In a black tee and tight jeans, Singh swayed with the ease of a professional dancer. Thats because I am a bar dancer in Mumbai, said the 24-year-old, who belongs to Chandigarh. But dancing on the ship in Goa, with other transgenders, was a different experience for her. I feel born again here, she said, with a wide grin. A far cry from how she feels about her job in Mumbai. I became a bar dancer because I had no option, said Singh, a commerce graduate who earlier worked as a counsellor with an NGO in Mumbai, before she quit as she had to go to Chandigarh. When I returned to Mumbai, nobody was willing to employ me, so I became a bar dancer, she said. And then, her boyfriend left her because his family didnt accept me the way I am. Navyas story reflects the lives of some 55 transgenders who congregated in Panaji, Goa for the All India Mela of Transgenders, organised by the NGO Anam Prem. The one-day conference, held at the Goa State Museum, had lectures by activists on the discrimination faced by transgenders. Abhina Aher, a transgender activist from Delhi, while addressing the audience, said, Forget being a little human towards us, in most of the places, especially in the rural areas, we are hunted out of villages by our own parents, beaten and sexually abused so that we are forced to live like men or face rejection from the community. Why do you think that we live in groups and intimidate people with loud claps and harsh voices? she said. Laxmi Prajapati, a 24-year-old from Indore, nodded to Ahers words. Wearing a bright red sari, and chunky jewellery, she told us, I work as an accountant and dress up like a man in office. I work at two places in shifts, and make Rs 13,000 every month. It is enough to help sustain whatever I do. The sharing of tales, often laced with despair, had the ironic effect of bringing a smile to the transgenders faces. Tasneem, a 24-year-old from Nagpur, was perpetually smiling. Thin and clad in a crimson sari, she was asking people to click her pictures with other participants. A high school graduate, Tasneem makes a living by dancing on the streets and asking for money, but has no regrets. Paisa toh mil jaata hai, she said. She wanted to talk about the future. Graduation karna hai, English bhi seekhni hai, she said. For its part, the conference also focussed on imparting skills to transgenders to make them more employable. Anam Prem volunteers gave demonstrations of washing a car and cleaning the screen of a mobile phone, for example. Most participants have come from red-light areas of Mumbai, Raipur and Indore. While a few work, many make a living by begging and dancing on the streets. We are trying to help them empower themselves, says Krupali Bidaye, of Anam Prem. But many, like Mahesh Kundalkar, from Kolhapur, were sceptical. She raised a pertinent question: The plan of helping us earn a living through car washing is good. But how many customers would allow that? How many, on the other hand, would touch us inappropriately and demand that we do shameful acts to please them? It has happened in the past and what is the guarantee that it wont in the future? There are problems on both sides of the story. These are grand plans, but the reality is harsh and unchanged, she said. Away from the harsh reality of their lives, the the transgenders had a good time in Goa, though.

2/18/2013 9:39 PM