This is a story of a woman who identified herself as one. The society wouldn’t let her be but she fought and fought till she was successful. We call their class as “Hijras” and outcast them. How easy is it for them to tolerate what the society is burdening them with- a feeling of non-belongingness, a feeling of difference and to top it all, exploitation and more of it.
In the culture of the Indian subcontinent a hijra is usually considered a member of “the third sex” — neither man nor woman. Most are physically male or intersex, but some are female. Hijras usually refer to themselves as female at the language level, and usually dress as women. Becoming a hijra is a process of socialization into a “hijra family” through a relationship characterised as chela “student” to guru “teacher”, leading to a gradual assumption of femininity. Typically each guru lives with at least five chelas; her chelas assume her surname and are considered part of her lineage. Chelas are expected to give their income to their guru, who manages the household. Hijra families are close knit communities, which often have their own houses.
Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi is one such woman. A woman who found herself embedded in body not her own. She went on to discover herself as a woman and now she is the woman with courage and an individuality of her own. A professional Bharatnatyam dancer, Laxmi started learning the dance form when she was 12 years old. From dance bars to being a hijda, she is now the proud owner of a chain of 9 Bharatnatyam dance schools in Mumbai. Today Laxmi also focuses her time towards social activities. She says, “People used to call me a hijra for years, and because they did I didn’t want to know about hijras. Eventually, the things you evade, confront you. And now I’m here.” The community introduced Laxmi to the freedoms of living with people similar to her. “How did I know that I was a hijra?” she mulls. “I don’t know. I asked myself that. I tried to run away, but I kept returning. Even now, it’s a question that’s on my mind 24 hours. But do I want to go back (to the mainstream)? No! My soul won’t allow it.”
I read her story somewhere on the net and felt good that someone is standing up for justice. A justice towards the self, a justice towards the heart and soul. While Lakshmi goes on to live with full confidence, I wonder how many people would make fun of her and her group and try to make them realize that they do not fit in the society.
