…With these thoughts reverberating in my
mind, I heard a sound that created a stir in my stomach…
…I believe every passenger who commutes
in suburban train would be aware of that sound. It’s a clapping sound mixed
with clanging of glass bangles. This particular sound in train indicates the
arrival of transgender. They come asking for money. And they will not get
anything less than 5 Rs. Sometimes they make vulgar gestures, and behave in embarrassing
manners also. I get severely
uncomfortable and nervous, when they enter into the compartment I am travelling in.. Sometimes in the past, I have given away money just to get rid of
them.
But that day, after encountering last two
personalities, I was determined not to give them any money. If that visually
challenged old man and the lady can make ends meet in their life, in an honorable
way, why can’t these people make it? Also, they don’t even tell, “Please”. They
ask money with authority.
By this time, she came near me. I grew
nervous. I tried not to look at her in eyes.
I was adjusting my sitting position many times, and grew uncomfortable.
She clapped in front of my face. I shook my head vigorously looking down at the
floor, still not looking at her. She gently patted on my cheeks and went away.
After making sure she’s not around, I lifted my head up. I got calmed down
slowly, and had a sense of relief of escaping from something.
I saw her standing near the door. I
thought, why should they do like this? They are healthy, why can’t they do some
work for earning? The frontal lobe of my cerebral cortex asked me a question in
turn, “Will you or your parents would be interested in having a transgender as
your housemaid or recommend them for any work?” The question gave me answer for
all my questions.
We are responsible for what they are.
They are victims of an ‘uncolored racism’. And we are the one to take the
blame. We never treated them as a fellow human, but as untouchables. We never gave them a chance to live, to
study, to work, to survive. Then how can
we expect them to earn money, and live a decent life? I just tried to remember all the application forms,
where I ticked ‘M’ in gender space, none had a space for transgender.
And it occurred to me that, there’s no
wrong in them for taking money with authority. It is a penalty for whatever we
did to them and still doing to them. We are liable to them for spoiling and
still spoiling their lives. We are bound to give them money, until we give them
a chance to live a honest and honorable life.
Honestly, amidst all this social hatred,
mockery, invalidation and humility, thrown towards them, each and every transgender
are indeed great personalities, as it should take Impeccable courage,
determination and perseverance to live among creepy creatures like us humans.
P.S: A day before writing down this
article, I met another transgender in her 40s, in market. But this time I didn't shy away, even as she came
near me. Because now I understood that she too has feelings. Surprisingly she
talked to me in excellent English, “What are you doing kid?” I answered looking
at her eyes, “M. Des”. She questioned back, "Means?", I replied, "Master of Design". She looked at me and understood that, I am struggling to buy things, as the shop was crowded.
In a bold voice, she
ordered the shopkeeper, “Ask what this kid wants, and give it to him”.
Surprisingly I got immediate attention. She looked at me, like am a small kid
and said with kindness, “Get what you want and go home soon”.
Next she talked in
Tamil to my friend standing next to me, “Nee enna panra” (What are you doing).
My friend replied “Am Telugu”. And
immediately she started conversing fluently with him in Telugu. She spoke to
them with a charm. I lived in a cosmopolitan environment for over a year, didn't learnt more than a bunch of words from other languages. I don't know how many more languages she knew, but the ease with which she spoke English, Tamil, and Telugu, made me to have a respect on her.
I felt ashamed for misunderstanding them all through my
life.
END NOTE
The
three different people, whom I came across in this train journey, gave me a new
definition for greatness and survival. Bear Grylls surviving in a remote forest
populated by animals and poisonous creatures, is not real survival. But these individuals
surviving in an ordinary world populated by a species called Homo sapiens, is
real survival.
“A
hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persist and endure
inspite of obstacles ”- Christopher Reeve
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