LUCKNOW: For the first time since Independence, four transgenders have been invited as special guests to represent their community at the Republic Day ceremony in Delhi.
The four named Deepika, Heer, Ekta Maheshwari and Lado, are associated with Garima Grih shelter home in Gorakhpur, and they will be travelling to the national capital on Saturday, January 24.
All four are among 10,000 special guests, invited from different walks of life, including those who lives alms and transgender individuals who have been rehabilitated under the PM SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme.
Winners of the World Athletic Para Championship, farmers practising natural farming, among others, for contributing to nation-building, have also been invited.
According to officials, four individuals from UP who have given up begging and earning a living through decent means have also been invited as representatives of their community.
As per the official sources, Ekta (39) is the director of the shelter home, which is funded by the Central government.
Ekta said the organisation received an email from the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, a month back, seeking nominations of transgender persons from Garima Grih. After sending the names, police verification was conducted by the Home Ministry. The final selection was then made, Ekta added.
It was followed by a communication from the Ministry of Social Justice confirming their participation in the R-Day celebrations in Delhi.
While Ekta left her family in Lakhimpur Kheri in her early 20s to study and become a photographer, she, in 2011, founded the Ekta Sewa Sansthan to give an identity to transgender individuals based on their personal abilities and qualities.
Heer, 20, a make-up artist, is saving up money to pursue her “dream career” in law and work to assist her community in legal issues. She also holds counselling programmes for transgender people.
Deepika, 32, from Deoria, an eastern UP district, is also a make-up artist based in Noida.
Lado is associated with the Kalyan Sathi initiative of the Social Welfare Department, assisting in the implementation of welfare schemes.
She left her family two years ago in Kushinagar. She believes that in villages, the situation of transgender people is even worse, as the families feel ashamed to accept them. She expressed her wish to change the perception.
However, despite all their achievements, they regret that their families are not ready to acknowledge them.