My World

Stopping at the traffic signals I had always wanted to know more about them. I watched them walk and approaching the male riders and drivers, clapping hands and asking for money. I often had discussion with my bus mate or bike mate keeping me perplexed about them. I always had this question in mind -who are they how they are like this,  how difficult their life would be , whether to give them money or not when they are begging. I had wanted to read more about them.

It was one of those usual days when all the books that I had was read and wanted to get few  more. I was browsing through Flipkart.com for buying few books. My friend had generously parted away with his parting gift of the Flipkart gift coupon of 2000 INR . Thanks to the Kindle that he owns that I got those gift coupons . Browsing through the list of books on flipkart, I got few interesting books related to travel, non -fictions and classics. One of the books which caught my attention was an autobiography “The Truth About Me – A Hijra Life Story by A. Revathi “. Finally I got something to read about them. I added it to cart. Due to Flipkart fast delivery all my book were there in next 48 hours.

I started reading “The Great Railway Bazar by Paul Theroux” – another interesting book on travel journey. Meanwhile another friend who doesn’t have much inclination towards reading wanted to read a book. I have a collection of few books. I asked him to select and he picked the autobiography of Eunuchs(Hijra). As I was reading another book, I let myself part with the book.  He finished reading the book in 2 days. Imagine a non lover of books finishing the book in 2 nights – Must be really a book which would keep you fully engrossed.

He started discussing what he read about the eunuchs. I got the book from him and started reading. The way it has been written you feel the images/pictures moving in front of your eyes. The ordeal which she had to go through which make you shiver while reading the book. The book is all about the author’s first hand experience of her life and her fellow hijra friends. Its all about from her childhood till date. She says “she felt like a woman captured in the body of a man” . And its all about the small desires and feelings she had and all the ordeals she had to go through in her home and outside. A very moving autobiography which gives you insights about how a hijra(eunuch) life is. There are only very very few happy moments and most of others are depressing and sad.

Here are few excerpts from the book:

“This confused me – I was a boy and yet I felt I could love other boys. Was this right or wrong? I could not talk to anyone about my confusions. Not to my brothers, or my parents. Nor could I stop my heart from wandering and so I went about as if crazed. I was fed up of being teased“

“We got stared at a lot. People asked out loudly- some out of curiosity, others out of malice- whether we were men or women or “number nines” or devadasis. Several men made bold to touch us, on our backs, on our shoulders. Some attempted to grab our breasts. “Original or Duplicate?” they shouted and hooted. At such moments I felt despair and wondered if there would ever be  a way for us to live with dignity and make a decent living“

“We want to live as women, and if we are granted the facilities that enable us to do so, we’ll live as other women do. We were not born to beg or do sex work. Circumstances, family laws and social hatred have left us with no course but to beg and do sex work. Our parents begot us like they did other children. We are also human.”

The author A. Revathi is currently a writer , actor and activist based in Bangalore. She works with Sangama – NGO which works for the human rights of sexual minorities. I guess our government needs to come up with programmes for them and also have them come to mainstream society and work as normal similar to the other countries. This would also bring a change in attitude of people towards them.

Must Read book to know about the other community of people living with us. If we know about them, then we know to respect them. I really recommend this book to all so that we know how we as a society has added pains and difficulties to their life. Hats off to the author !!!

The Truth About Me