Uncovering the
Plight of India's Transgender Community through Autobiographical Narratives
Muskan Bhati
M.A. (English)
Sharda University
Greater Noida, Uttar
Pradesh, India
Abstract:
Explores the plight of the transgender
community in India, which has largely been left behind in the country's rapid
progress. While the Supreme Court recognized the existence of a third gender in
2014, much work remains to be done in terms of improving the treatment and
experiences of this community. Autobiographical works such as " "I am Vidya,"
"A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi,"
"The Truth About Me," "A Life in Trans Activism," and "Our Lives,
Our Words," provide valuable insights into the realities faced by Hijras in
Indian society. By reading these works, individuals can increase their
awareness and understanding of the challenges and struggle that this
marginalized community faces on a daily basis.
Keywords: Autobiography, Gender, Identity, Hijra, Transgender, Discrimination
Introduction
For many years, the hijra community in India
has faced immense discrimination and marginalization due to their gender
identity. Born biologically male or intersex, hijras identify as female or
transgender and have been subject to social, legal, and economic disparities.
Despite this, hijras have a rich cultural history dating back to ancient India
and have been referenced in various religious texts and mythologies. This
research paper delves into the themes of gender and identity as explored in
autobiographies written by hijras. These works, including "I am Vidya,"
"A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi,"
"The Truth About Me," "A Life in Trans Activism," and "Our Lives,
Our Words," shed light on the diverse experiences, struggles, and triumphs
of the hijra community. By reading these narratives, individuals can gain a
deeper understanding of the fight for existence and basic rights that the
transgender community faces in India. These autobiographies also serve as a
source of hope and inspiration, showcasing the strength and resilience of those
who have fought against discrimination and prejudice.
A. Revathi
Revathi, also known as Asha Krishnan, is an
Indian transgender activist, actress, and writer. She was born on October 5,
1966, in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India. Revathi grew up in a conservative family
and realized at a young age that she identified as a woman. She faced
discrimination and harassment from her family and society due to her gender
identity. Despite this, she continued her education and graduated with a degree
in Commerce from the University of Madras. In 1984, Revathi moved to Chennai to
pursue her acting career. She acted in several Tamil and Malayalam films,
including "Thevar Magan" and "Kilukkam." She was a popular
actress and received critical acclaim for her performances. However, Revathi
faced discrimination and harassment in the film industry due to her gender
identity. She decided to come out as a transgender woman and became a vocal
advocate for transgender rights. In 2000, she founded the Tamil Nadu Aravanigal
Association, a support group for transgender individuals. Revathi has also
written several books, including "The Truth About Me: A Hijra Life
Story," which chronicles her life as a transgender woman. The book was
well-received and won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2016. Revathi continues to
be an advocate for transgender rights and has worked with several organizations
to promote awareness and equality. She has also been recognized for her
contributions to the LGBTQ+ community and was awarded the Chevalier de la
Légion d'Honneur, the highest civilian award in France, in 2019. Revathi's life
story is one of perseverance and advocacy for marginalized communities. She has
inspired many individuals to live their truth and fight for their rights.
Revathi's autobiography is divided into 3 parts which help to understand the
story of their life in a systematic way. Let's take a look of these 3 parts of
their life.
The Truth About Me: A Hijra Life Story (2010)
The First part describes Revathi's childhood
and the struggles she faced growing up as a transgender person. Is an
autobiography written by A. Revathi, a transgender activist and writer from
Tamil Nadu, India. The book chronicles Revathi's journey of self-discovery and
the struggles she faced as a hijra (a term used in South Asia to describe
individuals who do not identify as male or female). Revathi describes her
childhood in a rural village in Tamil Nadu and the challenges she faced as a
hijra, including discrimination, violence, and social exclusion. She also
writes about her experiences as a sex worker and the stigma associated with
this profession. Throughout the book, Revathi shares her thoughts on gender
identity, sexuality, and social justice. She also sheds light on the hijra
community in India and the efforts made by activists to fight for their
rights."The Truth About Me" is a powerful and poignant memoir that
offers a rare glimpse into the life of a hijra in India. It has received widespread
critical acclaim for its honesty, compassion, and courage in addressing issues
that are often ignored or marginalized in mainstream society.
The author's aims to insist through this
novel are very clear. She doesn't have any selfish motive for personal benefits.
That is why, instead of securing a separate recognition for Transgender,
Revathi wants everyone including the government to treat them as other
mainstream people. She wants to remove the borderline between sexual minorities
and mainstream society. She also Exhorted now and then even directly or
indirectly the society that at the back of every painful struggle, there Will
be success. Because Revathi's incessant fighting spirit and willpower changed
other's life drastically. For instance, the Indian government agreed to add a
third gender or cis-gender (M/F/T) in the gender list like Male, Female and
Transgender. Therefore, this remarkable change done by the government is
considered to Be the first success for transgender people. Nowadays, the third
gender people involve or take part in all
Our Lives, Our Words: Telling Aravani Life Stories (2011)
The second part of the book tells Revathi's
journey to become a hijra and her life in the transgender community.
Words" is a collection of short stories and essays by A. Revathi, a
transgender activist and writer from Tamil Nadu, India. The book includes
Revathi's personal reflections on her experiences as a transgender woman, as
well as her observations on various social and political issues related to
gender and sexuality. The stories In the collection offer a diverse range of
perspectives and experiences, including the struggles faced by transgender
individuals in India, the challenges of coming out to family and friends, and
the impact of discrimination and violence on the transgender community. Through
her writing, Revathi aims to raise awareness about the experiences of
transgender individuals and to promote greater understanding and acceptance of
gender diversity in society. She also advocates for the rights of transgender
individuals and works to promote social justice and equality for all.
"Our Lives, Our Words" is a
powerful and thought-provoking collection that challenges readers to question
their assumptions about gender and sexuality and to consider the experiences of
marginalized communities.
A Life in Trans Activism (2016)
The final part of the book describes her work
as an activist and journalist, highlighting the issues faced by the transgender
community in India. It is the time when Revathi starts working as an activist
in NGO Sangama. Their mission is to spread awareness about transgender and the
problems faced by transgender. Revathi's book highlights several issues faced
by the transgender community in India. One of the main issues highlighted in the
book is the discrimination and violence faced by the community. Transgender
people in India are often marginalized, excluded from society, and subjected to
violence and discrimination. Revathi's book provides a vivid account of the
discrimination and violence faced by the transgender community in India. She is
an independent activist, theatre person, actor and writer, and works for the
rights of transgender persons.
Revathi's books work as a mirror to society
about the violence and disrespect towards transgender. Also, show people that
transgender people are normal people like us.
Manabi Bandyopadhyay
Bandyopadhyay was born on January 13, 1978,
in Naihati, West Bengal. She is the 1st t transgender person to become the
principal of a college in India. She served as the principal of Krish Nagar
Women's College in West Bengal. She works for their community rights in their
area. She wrote several books on gender and their memoir 'A Gift of Goddess
Laxmi'. She was also awarded Joy Bangla Award and the Ananya Samman Award.
A Gift of Goddess Laxmi (2017)
The book provides a vivid account of her
experiences growing up in a conservative family, struggling with her gender
identity, and facing discrimination and social stigma The book starts with
Bandyopadhyay's childhood and describes her early years as a boy named Somnath.
She talks about her struggles with gender dysphoria and her experiences with
bullying and discrimination in school. The author then discusses how she came
to terms with her gender identity and eventually underwent gender reassignment
surgery to become Manabi Bandyopadhyay also shares her experiences as an
academician, writer, and activist. She talks about the challenges she faced as
a transgender woman in the education system and her efforts to create a safe
and inclusive environment for transgender students and staff. She also
discusses her involvement in various LGBTQ+ organizations and her work to raise
awareness about the rights of transgender individuals.
There are some lines in the book which make
an impact on the reader's mind which shows how they are treated, the stories of
sexual assault, how they feel, and how people react and behave with the person
when they know that person is transgender. How the mentality of a person shifts
when your friends and people around you suddenly change their perspective
towards you.
·
When
I was gradually metamorphosing into someone else right in front of his eyes,
the Whole world noticed, but my father chose to look the other way for as long
as he could. (Bandyopadhyay, p. 6)
·
I
was developing a distaste for my genitals. I just couldn't accept my balls and
my penis. I wanted to have my sister's genitals… (Bandyopadhyay, p. 8)
·
He
was like a tiger who had tasted human blood, and lurked here and there, trying to
corner Me every now and then. Gradually it became a routine, both for him and
me. (Bandyopadhyay, p. 9)
·
My
soul and sexuality did not match the image I saw in the mirror. I would look at
that Otherwise perfect reflection and weep for hours. I felt like tearing away
and escaping from The man's body in which I was born. (Bandyopadhyay, p. 109)
The story of Manabi Bandyopadhyay gives
motivation or hope to transgender that they achieve anything what they want.
After a lot of struggle and pain Manabi achieve such a great position in
society which many men or women could not achieve in their whole life.
Living Smile Vidya
She was born on 25th March 1982. Living smile
vidya is an Indian trans women actor, assistant director, writer, a trans and
Dalit rights activist. In 2013, she was awarded a scholarship by the Charles
Wallace India Trust to pursue theatre in the UK. She completes 6 months of
theatre training at the London International School of Performing Arts. In
2014, she becomes co-founder of the Panmai theatre troup in Tamil Nadu. Panmai
production Include Included The Trans 2.0 which is performed in India and the
United States. In 2019, she performed her piece, Scars, in Switzerland. The
piece touches on the mental and physical scars that associated with having her
male body blend into her feminine identity. Smiley's autobiography 'I Am Vidya'
was originally written in Tamil and then translated into 7 other languages
including English.
I Am Vidya (2007)
This Autobiography shows how transgender go
through their life and how they turn into a victim of partial changes in body.
Autobiographies are how the storyteller speaks a lot with a reader and tells an
unfiltered side of a story of their own. That direct contact with the reader
makes a direct connection and portrays the real-life scenarios from they are
going through. Mostly all autobiographies that are based on a transgender
community are full of pains and sorrows. Every autobiography has its different
struggles at different levels of society. Vidya was born on 25 March 1982 and
named Saravanan by her parents. She was a Precious child to her parents. Their
parents offered prayers to god for a boy child. After the birth of Saravanan,
they believed that their desire was completed. They didn't expect their son to
change his sex. Being born as a Boy, he gained more love from her parents,
sisters and friends. After the change of gender, the love of their family and
friends turned fluid.
Amma, Amma, I have become a woman.
I am not Saravanan any more,
I am Vidya-a complete Vidya- a whole woman…
Radha, please Radha, I am no longer your
brother Radha.
I am your sister now, your sister…
Look at me, Appa. Look at me as a woman.
Accept me as a girl, Appa. (Vidya, 9)
These lines from the autobiography have 2
mixed emotions. 1st emotion of Sarvana who accepted himself and was happy to
become what he always want to be. On the other hand, the reaction of family
changes the happiness of their self-acceptance make a burden of feelings and
baggage of pain. Throughout the autobiography, there are lots of scenes which show
the difficulty that transgender faces in their daily life. She also mentions
how people start treating them when their sexuality comes outside. How teasing
starts from the home to the classroom and later extend to the locality and
society as well. Also, a student from the lower class starts teasing and making
fun of her sexuality. When we are kids, we don't aware that our jokes and fun
on the sexuality of a person can make a horrible life for the person. So
awareness starts from childhood about the sexuality of a person. Lately, she
mentioned how the NGO and their further life event make changes to their lives
and how she stands against all of them for their respect and dignity.
God created every person with a mission to
accomplish the person who is strong God chooses a difficult path for them.
Vidya is strong and independent transgender who stands for their rights.
Conclusion
The autobiographical narratives of the
transgender community in India provide a glimpse into their daily struggles and
the constant rejection they face. Despite the challenges, these narratives also
demonstrate the resilience and strength of the transgender community. One
common theme that emerges is the importance of self-acceptance and
self-advocacy in the fight for recognition and respect. These autobiographies
highlight how society's perception towards the transgender community has
evolved with time. It is crucial to raise awareness and eliminate social
stigmas surrounding the third gender. As a society, we need to stand with the
transgender community and recognize their existence and rights. By doing so, we
can promote inclusivity and diversity and create a more equitable society for all.
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