KOCHI: For decades, they had gone through sheer humiliation and ignorance. They used to be the laughing stock of society. Even for mere existence, they had to undergo hardships that a normal person could not even dream of. But not anymore. The transgender community in the state is on the cusp of a revolution. On the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s historical verdict, decriminalising homosexuality, the community is excited to become part of the mainstream.
The ‘Navodaya Movement’, started by the Marthoma Guidance Centre, Vytilla, aims to uplift the transgender community, irrespective of caste, creed or religion by offering vocational training. Apart from a beautician course, in which eight transgenders graduated last week, they also teach Desktop Publishing, Web Design, Graphic Designing, Data Entry and Driving.
The trained transgenders are happy about the opportunities awaiting them. “All of us wanted to live like other human beings. In order to achieve that we have to take up a job. As we were searching for a suitable training centre, we came to know about the Navodaya Movement,” said Charunethra, one of the transgenders who completed the beautician’s course at the Kochi centre. “I am planning to open my saloon within a year,” she says. “We had three trainers and all of them were very supportive. As we learnt the importance of working efficiently, we are now planning to bring others for the next phase of training.”
Although they have started off an endeavour that has a far-reaching effect on the conservative attitudes of society, Fr George Varghese feels it is a small step. “The church had begun the movement in 2014 at Mumbai. In Kerala, we are organising it at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Thrissur, and Kozhikode with the support of the state government,” he said.
In addition, the Navodaya Movement is organising regular health check-ups, sensitisation and awareness programmes. It also operates a transgender helpline with services in English, Malayalam, and Hindi. The management is also planning to set up a shelter for the transgenders soon.