PEOPLE & THEIR PROBLEMS

New Delhi, 9 May 2008

Tamil Nadu Shows the Way

TRANSGENDERS NOW NO LONGER OUTCAST

By Dr. Syed Ali Mujtaba

"Ippadikku Rose" (Yours, Rose), the half-hour TV show on a channel is drawing huge attention in Tamil Nadu. Not because of its content but due to its anchor Rose, who has become India's first transsexual celebrity to host a TV show.

The 28-year old anchor, formerly known as Ramesh Venkatesan has a Masters degree in biomedical engineering from Louisiana Tech University, USA. He started wearing women's clothes full-time four years ago but still waited for acceptance from the family and society at large. However, after hosting the show Rose has not only become a celebrity but also an unofficial ambassador for the transgenders in the country. 

It’s the inspirational aspect of people like her that has moved the Tamil Nadu Government to take the bold step to recognize transgenders as a separate gender for the first time in the country.

Towards that end, the State Government announced on the floor of the Assembly to constitute a welfare board for the transgenders in the State and allocated Rs 275, 000 for the year 2008-09. The welfare board that comprises of eight members is empowered to look into the various problems, difficulties and inconveniences faced by the transgenders. And based on these inputs, formulate and execute welfare schemes for their betterment.

The State Government also announced the creation of a special database of transgenders that would help deal with their problems and demands. The database would be created by a non-governmental organization (NGO) and would map the population of transgenders in the State and find out their detailed demands such as ration cards, voter identity cards and health facilities etc.

The Government’s announcement was welcomed by to AJ Hariharan Founder Secretary, ICWO, a non-governmental organization. According to him, transgenders are in need of equality and security. They are being shunned by society, suffer offences and crimes and are deprived of basic housing facilities. Not only that. They are forced to take up unpleasant professions such as prostitution. 

Hariharan, who is one of the members of the Transgender Welfare Board, said Tamil Nadu has taken a lead in the country in this direction and it is high time the other States too follow suit and look at the transgenders problems humanely.

The transgender population in Tamil Nadu could be roughly about 60,000 but it’s only after a comprehensive database is made that their actual figure would be known. Hariharan said that once the data base is completed then it would be easier for the welfare board to look into their issues and suggest the best way to resolve them. 

The sorry state of transgenders is a modern age phenomena. In ancient and medieval times they had some respect in the society. Recorded history avers that transgenders were used as palace guards. They were entrusted with the responsibility to look after the security of the female chamber of the royal palace. But with the advent of the Victorian sense of morality imposed by the British rule, the transgenders fell out of the mainstream in India. The Indian society now sees them as evil and immoral.

A peek at the Hindi movies would tell the tale of the status of transgenders in India. Mughal-e-Azam made in 1965 showed them as palace guards during Emperor Akbar’s rule. Some movies based on ancient mythology portray them in positive roles.

However, recent films depict the transgenders as an object of ridicule to provide comic relief to the audience. In Kunwaara Baap (1974) the transgenders are seen in a song and dance sequence that tells the story of an abandoned child. In Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) they are part of the music chorus. In Tamanna (1997) actor Paresh Rawal plays a positive role of Tiku hijra (eunuch) who raises a young orphan girl. Transgenders are also seen in the films like Water (2005) and Bride & Prejudice. The movie 'Shabnam Mausi' (2005) is about the life of a eunuch politician of the same name.

Most transsexuals are born male but see themselves as women. Those detected very early are discarded by the family and are picked up by the transsexuals who raise them as their own. It’s because of the social stigma attached to them that prohibits transgenders to get any conventional jobs.

The most common sight is to see them clapping their hands and begging in streets, trains and buses. They are also seen swooping on a house that has a new born child and leave only after they have taken money from the parents of the child. Some even indulge in sex work and petty crimes.

The road for acceptance as a transgender for persons like Rose has been horrendous. In the hustling streets of Chennai she is always stared at and sometimes even abused. She remains isolated from college friends and neighbors to avoid rejection. Her middle-class parents threw her out from the house when she refused to agree to a suitable bride for her. Rose started working as an American-accent trainer in a call center but her contract was not renewed when she started dressing as a woman.

However, Rose’s sheer determination and courage made her climb the ladder of stardom. Her show ‘Yours Rose,’ has a viewership of over 64 million and is a hit programme. Rose's immense screen presence and confidence has added glamour to it. With great composure she discusses all those subjects that are considered to be brushed under the carpet.

It’s her style of presentation to fight prejudice against the transgenders that has moved the hearts of those walking in the corridors of power in Tamil Nadu. After seeing her they have mooted the idea of the welfare of transgenders. 

However, in a country where the boundaries of sexual tolerance are shifting daily, there is much uncertainty in the line between acceptability and offense as far as the transgenders are concerned. ---- INFA

(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)