BENGALURU: A transgender woman Sukanya (24) was kidnapped and brutally assaulted by fellow transgender women in Roopena Agrahara area for allegedly trying to switch her gharana (non-biological clan). Sukanya was rescued by police and taken to Victoria Hospital. An FIR was registered by Bommanahalli police against the perpetrators.
“Sukanya was kidnapped from Krishnarajapuram, where she was staying with some hijras because her assaulters -- the hijras she was living with earlier -- felt she would leave their gharana and join another one,” stated a spokesperson of ‘Sangama’, a city-based human rights organisation.
A city-based LGBTI activist told TNIE that hijras (one of the traditional transgender women communities in South Asia) have a historical and rigid hierarchical social structure. The community is extremely territorial, where switching gharana is considered a loss of income.
“A hijra gets initiated into the community by a guru through a ritualistic ceremony called ‘jalsa’ or ‘Mata puja’. The guru provides for her protection, shelter and other logistics, including sex reassignment surgery, which is prohibitively expensive. In return, the chela (pupil) has to give 30 to 70 per cent of her daily earnings through begging, sex work etc to her guru, which the latter can also share with her guru. There are five to six gharanas in Bengaluru. Each gharana is headed by a nayak (head) based in Mumbai/ Hyderabad, who can also be the guru or guru’s guru. There is a strict understanding among the gharanas that they will not encroach upon the other’s territory,” said the activist.
“Hijras from one gharana operate in their jurisdiction only. Switching gharanas is not encouraged in the community, which holds jamaat (court) to decide on internal issues, including punishment for any offence they consider serious. The worst that can happen to a hijra is to get excommunicated. No gharana will accept her thereafter anywhere in South Asia,” added the activist.
