B Y NA D A R

S HA R A NYA The Hijra

F Y B A MMC- A
R O L L NO . 2 2 0 5 2
Community
India's trans women community,
or Hijra, has been a part of the
subcontinent for about as long as
civilization has. With a recorded
history of over 4,000 years and
being mentioned in ancient texts,
the Hijra community is a testament
to the sexual diversity that is
integral yet often forgotten in Indian
culture.
The Hijra community has been mentioned in ancient literature, the
most known of which is the Kama Sutra, a Hindu text on human sexual
behavior written sometime between 400 BCE and 200
CE. Hijra characters hold significant roles in some of the most important
texts of Hinduism, including the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

One of the many forms of Shiva, a principal Hindu deity, involves him
merging with his wife, Parvati, to become the
androgynous Ardhanari, who holds special significance to many in
the Hijra community.
In Hindu society, people of non-binary gender expression
have played important roles for over 2000 years.
Third gender people have often been revered throughout
South Asian history; for example, Muslim rulers of the
Mughal Empire in the 15th to 19th centuries were generous
patrons of third gender Indians. Many rose to significant
positions of power under both Hindu and Muslim rulers. In
2014, it was estimated that around 3 million third gender
people live in India alone.
While Indian law recognizes transgender people, including Hijras, as a third gender, other South Asian
countries, such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, have recognized only Hijras as the third gender. This is even
when the larger LGBT community faces severe legal disadvantages and when same-sex sexual relations is
illegal in the country.

While the vocabulary may have been different, it is clear that ancient India did not think that gender
equated to sex, nor denied the existence of a gender spectrum. People of the Hijra community were even
considered ‘closer to god’ and were invited to bless weddings and newborns.
How Britain tried to 'erase'
India's third gender.
In August 1852, a castrate called Bhoorah was found brutally murdered in northern India's
Mainpuri district. She lived in what was then the North-West Provinces with two disciples and
a male lover, performing and accepting gifts at "auspicious occasions" like births of children
and at weddings and in public. She had left her lover for another man before she was killed.
British judges were convinced that her former lover had killed her in a fit of rage.
During the trial, they described the castrates as cross-dressers, beggars and unnatural
prostitutes.
British officials began considering castrates "ungovernable". Commentators said they evoked
images of "filth, disease, contagion and contamination". They were portrayed as people who
were "addicted to sex with men". Colonial officials said they were not only a danger to "public
morals", but also a "threat to colonial political authority".
Why are transgenders considered as a taboo but at the
other end also called upon for blessings during auspicious
occasions and rituals?
Hypocrisy. This is the best reason.
We tend to change or alter rules as we please. It can be seen in our daily life. Ancient India had
Kamasutra and many temples and historical monuments has depiction of Kamasutra poses but we just
don’t speak about ‘sex’ in open. We refuse to discuss the problem.
We worship Goddess Kali, Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati but we just don’t want girl-child.
We want our daughter’s in-laws to treat her properly, but we would not treat someone else’s daughter
properly.
We would want our house to be spick and span, but we won’t mind dirtying the neighborhood.
We want to help them but we can’t be seen with them.
Indians, over the years, have forgotten what our culture was. Indian culture, as far as I understand and
know, never discriminated people on the basis of who they’re. One’s actions were important, and not
who they’re. It’s sad how we have deteriorated ourselves and have started treating various people badly.
Shattering these Taboos
In the melee of honking horns and swerving wheels on a
busy Indian road, a policeman with a whistle is easy to
miss. But throw in two or three transgender inspectors in
high visibility jackets and there's no problem stopping the
traffic.
By working together with these volunteers, the police in
rural Thane, north-east of Mumbai
gain extra help and a vital new source of information,
while their transgender assistants gain credibility and
respect. They are suddenly viewed in a position of
authority by members of the public who had previously
looked down upon them and mocked them.
India’s first transgender children’s
homes will be in Bengaluru.
India’s first homes for transgender children in need of care and protection will soon be
established in Bengaluru. The Ministry of Women and Child Development gave its nod for the
project last week. Children in need of care and protection include orphans, abandoned
children, street children, child labourers and child victims of abuse.
Pallavi Shivappa Jakali, 35, a transgender who was based in Ramdurg, a town in Belagavi, was
brought up in a children’s home run by an NGO. “I grew up in a boys’ home and was
constantly bullied by other boys. Because of this, I would always dress as a man and hide my
identity,” she said, adding that she had come out as a transgender only when she was 17 years
old. She felt that the move to establish a separate home for transgenders would help people
like her cross the many hurdles they faced in society.
Dr. Trinetra Haldar
Karnataka’s first trans-woman doctor, Trinetra, shares her inspiring journey.
Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju, an openly-transgender doctor,
activist, artist and content creator has made it to the list of the
renowned “The Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List 2022," for her
exceptional personality and endeavours. Recognised as
Karnataka’s first trans-woman doctor and one of the first openly
transgender Indian content creators, she educates people to
understand the gravity of topics like gender, sexuality,
queerphobia, bullying, mental health, and feminism through her
content. Trinetra was born as Angad Gummaraju to Bengaluru-
based parents and underwent a gender confirmation surgery
(GCS) abroad in February 2020.
The 23-year-old famous Vlogger has been making heads turn by
documenting her transition journey on her YouTube channel ‘The
Trinetra Method’ and recently shared her journey with online
catalogue, Humans of Bombay. She revealed, “When I was born, my
family was overjoyed at their first born child–a son. But I never
thought of myself as a boy. I’d wear Maa’s saree, put on her
makeup & parade around the house. Initially, everyone found it
cute, but when they saw this ‘phase’ go on for longer than
expected, they hid these items from me, saying, ‘You’re too old for
this’
When she decided to come out to the world as queer, it only added
fuel to the fire. “My classmates began harassing me–they’d feel me
up; when I flinched, they’d say, ‘We know you like this’. Even my
teachers didn’t spare me. I was made to read out loud in class only
for them to mock my voice”, she shared. It was then that she found
an escape in studies.
 Each being in this Universe is indeed unique, and an
integral part of Nature. It would thus be wrong to judge
and discriminate people who may be different from the
Conclusion stereotype, which again is man-made. It is time that
India realized that every individual in this country has
equal rights and privileges, and follow the policy of “live
and let live.”