TRANSGENDER - I’M NOT AN IT

There are several blogs by people who tell you how they feel about the “Third Gender”. But, when it comes across from one of them, it makes a difference. So, I went and met a transgender, now converted to a female- Aastha, who was once called an “IT”. I put in all my effort to find out what struck her the most about the society she lives in, and the conversation brought tears in my eyes because even I felt guilty of not being able to help her. In my voice recording of the interview, one can’t hear her cry but can feel it for sure. So, here goes, my small attempt to bring out the prejudices set against the “ITS”.

I asked her, if she was always a transgender, she told me she was born with it, she obviously didn’t choose it for herself! On being asked about if she ever went to school, I got a shocking answer. She has completed her Masters of Science in Chemistry and yet, goes around the city begging people like us to give her a rupee or two. Wherever she went to apply for a job, they gave her ten rupees and avoided any further conversations about a job or any chance of working there. At the most, she got jobs like cleaning toilets, and she holds a Master’s Degree. What disgrace! She also mentioned how she was bullied in school, for what she wore, how she behaved and her likes and dislikes. In school, she used to wear girl’s clothes but used to behave like a boy. She loved wearing make-up and growing her hair and never shied away from it. She was a rebel, she still is!! Even when I’m taking her interview, she sits in front of me on the floor, with makeup, a bindi, bangles and “kumkum” on her forehead- in India, it means the lady is married by Hindu tradition, a total irony in Aastha’s case.

Her parents passed away when she was around 16 years, so she stayed with her brothers, after which she felt alone. Staying with four brothers, she felt uncomfortable and at times, kindled to extremes. I felt my eyes warming up when she mentioned how due to her sister-in-laws, her brothers abandoned her and how she suddenly became an orphan. She told me that she doesn’t know any means of attaining happiness, rather, is unaware of how it feels like to be loved and accepted. After she was thrown out of her house by her brothers, her whole village refused to allow her to step into the village, threatening to kill her if she did. She also works as a prostitute as she was only getting a maximum of 2000rs per month by begging, forcing her to SELL HER BODY.

Even after getting operated, after becoming a complete female, she was refused jobs, proper treatment, etc. But, she tells me how it feels awkward when options male and female are available, but the third gender option isn’t. She tells me how confused she feels thinking about the ideology or the beliefs of mankind about the third gender. Other than all this, they also invite them to Hindu functions, where they are regarded to bring in good fortune. REALLY??? And, then throw them out because they were made by God in a different way. I pity mankind.

When asked if she never had the wish to fight against this injustice, she told me, “How many people should I fight against? Who will support me? And if I start fighting, what’s the guarantee I won’t be harassed to death during the whole process?”. She isn’t just a transgender, she is also a beggar, a prostitute but she is a human, a Masters Degree holder, an independent lady, a fighter and most importantly- A SURVIVOR.

When asked if I could take a picture with her, she told she felt happy because people usually asked only nude and absurd pictures of her. Presently, she lives in a neighboured where she is treated well, spoken to well and also, to an extent accepted. I pray with all my might, that there comes a day when males and females accept their other companion- the trans genders.

left: Aastha; right: Vandana
Photo Credits: raghavi

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Human trafficking is the “trade of humans”, most commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced labour, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or orthers.

According to recent studies, its seen that around 20 to 65 million Indians are affected every year due to human trafficking. India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. And Indian women are trafficked to the Middle East, mainly for sexual exploitation. Human trafficking results in physical as well as mental disorders. Physical ailments like- HIV, TB, other STD’s as condoms are rarely used. Mental disorders like- PTSD, depression and anxiety.

Indian authorities also use Sections 366(A) and 372 of the Indian Penal Code, prohibiting kidnapping and selling minors into prostitution respectively, to arrest traffickers. Penalties under these provisions are a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment and a fine. And although children trafficked for forced labour and sexual exploitation maybe housed in government shelters and are entitled to 20,000rs, the quality of many of these homes remains poor and the disbursement of rehabilitation funds is sporadic. The Government of India launched an anti human trafficking web portal in February 2014 that they hope will be an effective way for interested parties to share information about this topic.

An innocent girl was forced into human trafficking industry of Mexico, Karla Jacinto(23) who believe she was raped for almost 43,200 times. A number we can’t imagine even having sexual intercourse with our spouse. She was forced to have sex with at least 30 men everyday continuously for four years. After getting out of that, she started spreading awareness, conducted public talks etc. she was trafficked when she was just 12 years old to Tenancingo, Mexico which is the sex trafficking capital of the world and is the single largest source of sex slaves sent to the US. She explained how she would start at 10am and end only by midnight and often closed her eyes n cried to avoid looking at what the men were doing to her! Women just are treated like sex toys, used and thrown in an unforgettable manner. Karla was beaten with a chain all over her body, kicked, her hair was pulled, was punched with his fists and sometimes burnt with the iron. There is an outstanding estimation of 20,000 trafficking victims every year in Mexico!

There’s an instance of a boy, who was trafficked sexually since he was 5 years old by a paedophile ring. He was surrounded by domestic violence, alcoholism, childhood sexual abuse and divorce. His step father molested him brutally and faced threats of violence against his mother and thus, surrendered to being molested. For seven years, he was trapped in this hell and “served” during school life and wasn’t helped at all. When human trafficking occurs, it not only destroys the prey’s life physically, it destroys their mental balance and supresses any chance of improvement in future. Just for the sake of satisfying their sexual needs, humans target their fellow beings and zone them in such a way that the preys aren’t left with another option. This brutal an inhuman behaviour has to stop. We can do our best by taking care of our loved and dear ones, guarding them and also, by spreading awareness.

Raising our voice against such an issue is going to send a clear warning to the predators to avoid repeating their brutal doings and learn to live in harmony. As one, I believe we can fight this for the ones being trafficked and for those who might be if we don’t put an end to this.

THEY DON’T KNOW!! THEY DON’T WANT TO KNOW!!

What’s new in a woman’s world? A new saree, a new kitchen appliance, a new neighbour, a new baby!! Her whole life, she slogs for someone else- her father, her brother, her husband, her son. Slogs not by earning money, but by cooking, breeding, grooming and taking care of their domestic needs. Life begins from the womb of a mother- rightly said. But the same woman, when doesn’t want to undergo an intercourse or doesn’t want to give conceive, is not allowed to raise her opinion.

We all know domestic violence is an exceedingly dangerous trend in the society. The man of the house both due to alcohol and due to aggression, beats up his woman and expects her to shush up about the scene. As part of the ‘contract’ of marriage, she isn’t allowed to apply or wish for a divorce. Getting married is the sole purpose of such women, not willingly, but because of social pressure.

There is one such example of a lady who is by far, the strongest lady I have ever known- my maid, Mehaboob. She is a Muslim, a woman, a domestic help but most importantly, she is an Indian. She too has the right to freedom of speech but is she aware of it? No! Spreading awareness of these rights is of utmost importance, because many citizens tolerate injustice without knowing the fact that they too have a voice which can be raised to a limit without being afraid. Taking into account a more personal space, some rural women don’t even have the right to abstain from sex with their husband in order to prevent child birth. They are supposed to adjust and cooperate with the man, get pregnant like a million times even though she knows her body is not strong enough for another child birth.

And let’s face it, women who run the house will deny having any time to watch news let alone to comment on any political issue. She won’t have any interest in reading the newspaper or watching news, so obviously she won’t be aware of her rights. Even in a small situation where the price of a vegetable has increased alarmingly, she wouldn’t know she can question the vendor or anyone above. Why is no one questioning the rising service tax in hotels? Or the tax we are paying after Modi came into power? If they are, they are only the class of people bothered about reading the newspaper or those aware of the rights. Ignorance also, is a major drawback and the unwilling attitude to participate in the democracy of the country!!

In some cities, women are unaware that after 6pm the police cannot take them into custody, they can have women police constables assisting them and so on and so forth. Being unaware of right to free speech takes away the importance of the right. And also, not being able to exercise the right to the fullest is one of the drawbacks of this mighty right. Uneducated people need to be taught about the importance and flexibility of the law. As in, even men, in cases when they want to argue with their boss, or anyone who is in power, has to think a lot more about the consequences before he speaks. It lies true in the case of men and women, though in their own ways. Just spread awareness about the right, do your bit and hopefully the country should be better than yesterday!

EXPENSIVE/FREE SPEECH

The Constitution of India gives us- its citizens, certain rights. One such inclusion is Article 19 1 (a). In judicial terms, Article 19 1 (a) states that – All citizens of India shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression. In simple words, this part of the article states that Indians are allowed to speak and express freely whatever they wish to convey. Thus the original constitution had only this form of the right, which excluded any kind of restrictions or conditions. I agree, that, there might have been a few drawbacks to this right. But, the major problem that was raised against this right was by the Nehruvian Government.

In 1950, a left wing journalist named Romesh Thapar, published critical views about the Nehruvian Policy, and hence was banned by the Madras State. The Madras State filed a petition in the Supreme Court and the case resulted in their favour. This therefore led to the First Amendment of the Indian Constitution, and certain restrictions were included under the new section called Article 19 2. This was the biggest loss to the media industry because it resulted in a lot further restrictions in their duties and way of functioning. Here, I quote Article 19 2 – “Article 19(2) in The Constitution of India 1949 states that-           Nothing in sub clause (a) of clause (1) shall affect the operation of any existing law, or prevent the State from making any law, in so far as such law imposes reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub clause in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence”.

Also, the Economic and Political Weekly faced harsh criticism as they raised arguments about Indira Gandhi. Is this why the right was introduced in the first place? To be reduced to such a minimal that the existence of the right hardly makes a difference. I’m not completely unhappy with the right, but the value of the right is so minimal due to the restrictions imposed. On the other hand, as if the right is being granted or equally utilised by ALL the citizens. As is it, there are only a few people who speak up and stand for the truth, on top of that, these restrictions are laid down. Now, even those who want to speak up, think a million times about the consequences they would have to face.

I want YOU to think for a minute. Does your maid know object her husband’s orders, like, maybe you do? Does the lady in the Burkha have the guts to become a news reporter for an English News Channel or let alone marry or even talk to a Hindu man in public? Does your college/ office watchman have the right to tell you to leave the premises on account of absence of our ID card without being ridiculed or abused? Does anyone have the guts to point out that a man who is 45 years of age is the Political Youth Icon of the country? Then maybe, ‘youth’ just got a new definition. And why is there such reluctance when someone wants to speak his/her mind?

The right therefore, isn’t establishing any kind of equality, integrity, morality or any kind of factual matter. Everything is just fake, or so censored that the truth is CHOPPED OFF!!! Everyone just wants to protect himself and let his secrets be buried away with his corpse. But nothing stays hidden for a long time. So, I wanted to know the sole purpose of having such a right which doesn’t cut across the cultural, social, economical of gender barriers!?!??

Basically what happened was, they kept a block of cheese infront of a rat and a few milliseconds later, they placed the block of cheese on a trap. So that, when the rat comes to eat the cheese, the rat gets trapped inside and dies. In the same way, citizens either don’t have access to free speech or the right to ‘free-wala’ speech comes at an expensive price. 

POT-HOLED TO DEATH

Work hard and you will reach the road of success. Good!! But, don’t reach the roads of Bangalore ever in your life. They say that Bangalore is the silicon capital of the country and also the Garden City. I don’t question any of these tags associated with my hometown. But I have a few doubts to raise regarding the transport system of this city.

We Bangaloreans know, that traffic is a 24/7 thing. If there’s no traffic on a day, then ‘Gods must be crazy’. There are areas where there’s no traffic at all, and then there are places where we move at around 2km/hour speed. I tend to leave an hour early if my destination is via the Silk Board route. Me and brother sometimes, “where are these people headed?” But I realised, they might have the same question in their minds too. It’s easier to travel by a two-wheeler or so we thought.

Now, there’s this rule that even the pillion riders have to wear helmet for safety, else are heavily fined. My first question is, how many pillion riders die due to head injury? Is this a way to loot money from the two wheelers? Yes! Anyone who has visited Bangalore will agree with me on the point that the roads aren’t maintained and are neglected when development is concerned. Only a fortnight before the elections, the contesting candidates show their love for their home city by laying down fresh roads, that too of the lowest quality possible. Where is all our tax money going? If not for development, what is the money being used for? I’m one among the tax payer, and I deserve to question the Government as to where my money is being utilised.

Silk Board, Marathahalli, Banashankari, Majestic are few names of places you definitely wouldn’t want to enter if you’re new to the city. Nevertheless, all the other areas too are victimised by traffic. Autos are a major pain in our day to day life. They speed around and are ignorant when they have a customer, else don’t make way for the vehicles behind them. Drunk driving, speeding, wrong way driving, skipping traffic signals, ignorant driving including confusion about the route, harmful overtaking, and similar such unhealthy habits practised which lead to fatal accidents and death of many innocent lives. The Government shouldn’t employ rules like pillion riders helmet when they don’t even take speed limit rules seriously. Speeding, drunk driving, etc are causes that can be avoided by implementing strict laws and fines applied to those found guilty. Taxi drivers, auto drivers are to be fined equally in case of rash driving as they are a main cause for minor accidents.

Also, action must be taken against offences like parking in a no parking zone, causing any kind of hindrance to the flow of traffic, or similar cases. When two wheelers are to be fined, one must make sure that there are a maximum number of times that one can be fined, after which the rider’s riding license would be withheld. Does anyone know that this is already being practised? No, because the Government is being lenient in matters that require strict action and implementing rules which are of least relevance.

Practically speaking, when women are seated in the back seat of a two wheeler, how are they expected to wear a helmet? If they wear a helmet, where are they supposed to carry it once they reach their destination? If they are heavily dressed and have made their hair perfect for the day, how should they wear a helmet? How are people coming from outside Bangalore know and follow the pillion rider helmet rule? Even if they do wear a helmet, will their hands and legs be safe if they meet with an accident? Not really. And the amount of pollution, specially air pollution and noise pollution. More traffic, more air pollution and more noise pollution. The cycle will never end.

But, how many lives are going to be saved if all the pot holes of Bangalore are closed? If all the roads of Bangalore are well maintained? Will there ever exist a day in the near future where we can decide to go to a place and not worry about the traffic we would have to go through?

And they say, we are developing! 

“S*X WORKERS, PROSTITUTES, CALL GIRLS- THEY TOO ARE WOMEN AFTER ALL AREN'T THEY?”

“S*X WORKERS, PROSTITUTES, CALL GIRLS- THEY TOO ARE WOMEN AFTER ALL AREN'T THEY?”

From when I remember, I always dreamed of being successful in the eyes of my parents. I knew I wanted to make them proud and repay them for giving birth to me. Isn’t this every girl’s dream at the end of the day? Most girls want to get married at some point in their lifetime, have children and see them grow up to be like their parents. But is this the case with all the women in our society? Well, NO!!

When you open your eyes and face reality, it strikes you hard doesn’t it? And then, there are these women called “prostitutes”! For those of who don’t know, “prostitutes” are women who have sexual intercourse with random men who pay money in return of the satisfaction they receive. And, in Wikipedia terms, prostitutes are women who engage in sexual relations in exchange for payment or benefit of some kind. Okay maybe they are receiving some kind of payment, but at what cost?

When people talk so inhumanly about a prostitute, do they consider under what circumstances she had to choose that profession? A young girl, would never aspire of becoming a sex worker in future. She would in fact, dream the same dream like me. Maybe, she was the only bread winner of her family, or maybe was an orphan, or found no other way to support herself and her loved ones. In some village in India, fathers, brothers or in some cases even the husbands force their women into the business because they are not “man” enough to earn a living. In some other village, this profession is passed on from one generation to another as a custom or family business of some sort. There are alarmingly increasing rates of cases where girls are being kidnapped and sent to become prostitutes. Is the girl child meant for this? Is this what she was born for? If so, then why do they pray to Goddesses like Kali, Parvathi and Lakshmi and so on?

How can you assume that someone would be okay with selling their body for some pieces of paper? Wouldn’t it hurt to see a different man every night or be forced to do something so intimate and so sensitive? What people don’t understand is that a woman can never choose to sell her respect unless she has no other choice. Definitely, she wouldn’t be enjoying it, even though she might put up a face that she is.

Another dream a girl usually has, making children and raising them just to be like her. In this case, first of all, female prostitutes are victim to a high number of sexual diseases, and on top of that, they do give birth to children, but the father”s” of the children in most cases are unknown. So would at least the kids have a future of a different kind? NO!!! There’s always a blank to fill in the forms as to what the profession of the parent is, what the name of the father is, what’s the occupation of the mother is and similar questions. But, the actual question is, would you ever want your mother, sister, daughter, wife or friend to ever go through all this in life??

What people also have to consider is what happens to women who take up prostitution? They aren’t given any place in the society, they aren’t treated with any respect, nor are they recognised as humans. They don’t have value in the society, they are shunned by their own family members, they are ignored or looked down upon by their known ones and they basically can’t lead a normal life. Okay, now that they have already chosen the profession, can they decide to stop working as a prostitute? NO!!! Okay, can they ever get married and start a new life? NO!!! Who would get married to them selflessly? NO ONE!!! Okay let’s say they somehow agree to continue with the same profession, can they do so even when they turn 50?? NO!!! After a certain age their “sex appeal” and “sex value” comes to a standstill. They can’t even continue with the same profession, they can’t start a new life, they can’t move on, they can’t stop, etc. There’s no end to this particular chapter in their life at all. And people think, “what does she know what life is, after all, her work is to just sleep around with a few men! She gets paid for getting pleasure!”

Easy to talk, easy to see, easy to even hear sometimes. But impossible to undergo what these women go through. RESPECT THEM FOR WHAT THEY DO, WHAT THEY TOLERATE AND ALSO, WHOM THEY TOLERATE.

TO THE SUPREME BEING AND HIS BELIEVERS.

TO THE SUPREME BEING AND HIS BELIEVERS

HINDUISM

Vakratunda Mahakaaya surya koti samaprabha

Nirvagnam Kurume deva

Sarva karyeshu sarvada

ISLAM

A’uzu billahi min ash shaitani r rajimi

Bismi ‘Ilahi “r-rahmani ‘r- Rahim

(“I seek protection from God against the Devil,

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”)

CHRISTIANITY

In the name of The Holy Spirit

WHAT I BELIEVE IN.

Whichever religion you belong to, they say that taking God’s name before beginning a new task brings good fortune and a safe venture. That’s why I recited certain prayers from their respective religions. According to the prayer in Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is requested to supervise and guard us as we begin new journeys and we seek His blessings. According to the prayer in Islam, we ask for Allah to protect us from the Evil and from misfortune. Whereas, in Christianity, we do everything in Jesus Christ’s name, we do it for him and we do it in his supervision.

In the above paragraph, if you observed, I used the term “we” for the belief followed in every religion. This is because I believe in one religion- HUMANITY. It definitely doesn’t mean I’m an atheist, it just means I believe that there is one Supreme Being. The three pieces of prayer I recited above might not be in the same language or might not all refer to God as Ganesha or Allah but the motive behind their recitation is the same- WELL-BEING and GOOD FORTUNE. If I can overlook barriers like language, names given to the God in the religion I follow and the rituals followed, then why can’t each one of you do the same?

I’m not asking anyone to go against their religion, I’m asking you to stop pointing fingers at a religion whose beliefs you’re not aware of, nor are you aware of what it preaches. My aunt for example, is a converted Muslim, but in no way has her respect for Hinduism changed, because Islam didn’t teach her to disrespect Hinduism or disbelieve it. Islam just gave her a different perspective about God and Life. It should be noted here that I’m not trying to preach any religion, I’m preaching Humanity.

I recently watched a Bollywood movie ‘Tamasha’. In the movie, a man says these lines- is it called the river ‘Yamuna’ or ‘Jamuna’? Is it ‘Yousuf’ or ‘Jusuf’? Is it ‘Jesus’ or ‘Yesu’? Is it ‘Moses’ or ‘Moosa’? Is it The ‘Hindu river’ or the ‘Indus river’? is our land called ‘hind’ or ‘India’? and think, is it ‘Brahma’ or ‘Abraham’, or is it ‘Ibrahim’? Do YOU have an answer? The same way, isn't it possible for God to have several names?

They say God made man. So if I ask a man who is a staunch believer of Christ whether he made me too even though I’m a Hindu, would he have an answer? If I ask a staunch believer of Hinduism if his religion is imprinted somewhere on his body or is it a part of his blood like his blood group, would he have an answer? and If a ask a Muslim to help a Hindu or a Christian, would he think twice just because they don’t call their God by the name Allah, would he have an answer?

But if a man is dying on the road, would you ask the man if he of the same religion as you are? Would you deny helping someone because they don’t say the same prayers? Would you not share space with a person from another religion?

Today, we are living in an age where the President of a country-majorly populated by Hindus, can be a Muslim and the Prime Minister- a Sikh, sworn in because a Catholic woman stepped aside. Then what are we afraid of? The Supreme Being punishing us of following a bit of humanity as well?

Every religion preaches Humanity, but Humanity doesn’t have a religion.

It, in itself is a religion!

[with no offence to any religion or to the followers of their respective religion]