It was a moment of victory for 23-year-old transgender Swapna, when she appeared for the group II examination conducted by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) at Nirmala Girls Higher Secondary School, here on Sunday. She became the first person in the country to give the test under the sex category of woman, on her own choice.
“My appearance in today’s examination is the outcome a protracted fight that I had to wage to appear in the TNPSC exam under the sex of my choice. Today I feel empowered,” Swapna said.
Swapna was at the centre of attention at the exam hall as lensmen kept on clicking the transgender, much to the amusement of other candidates. However, normalcy returned after the final bell rang marking the beginning of the examination.
Though happiness was writ all over her face, there was a tinge of disappointment in her voice after the exam. “I attended all Tamil questions, but am not satisfied with my handling of other questions,” she said.
Notwithstanding the success of her endeavour, her appearance was a victory in itself. She received her hall ticket from the TNPSC only on November 28, after the intervention of the Madras High Court. “I was left with three days to cover all the syllabus. I managed to prepare for the Tamil portion alone,” said Swapna.
Not masking her disappointment, she said, “I shall emerge victorious next time. It took me two years just to get the sanction for appearing in the exam. Now that one hurdle is cleared, I shall try to make it to the merit list in my next attempt,” she said.
However, Swapna could not help but remember her parents, who are still not on talking terms with her. “I had secured 1,021 marks in the 12th standard and had received `20,000 as cash for securing third place in Tamil in the district. However, once my family came to know about the physical changes that I was undergoing, they started ill-treating me,” she said.
“Deprived of job opportunities, I approached the then collector U Sagayam seeking Anganwadi worker post. He not only helped me, but also encouraged me to prepare for the civil service examination,” Swapna said.