CHENNAI: During my time as the chairperson of the Women’s Development Corporation of Tamil Nadu (from 2001 to 2004), two trans women visited me. They cried, shared their sorrow. They were shown the door at their previous jobs after their sex-change surgery; they wanted to claim their identity as women. During the time, I decided to appoint them as office assistants in my workplace at Guindy,” narrates CK Gariyali, a retired IAS officer, sharing the origin of her latest offering, a book titled Transgender in India - Achievers and Survivors: An ode to Transwomen.
‘They were smart, neatly dressed and energetic…After joining, they faced a few taunts and some barbs now and then, but the situation was generally stable. They tried to work cheerfully and I hoped that they would be able to remain long enough so that we could take up the matter of making them permanent with the Government in due course,’ she writes in her book, co-authored by her daughter, actor-social worker Priyadarshini Rajkumar.
However, after Gariyali’s transfer to the Urban Development Department, the future of the two trans women became uncertain in a setting that was hostile towards their identities. ‘Before long, in my absence, the whole office began taunting them…they were ostracised and victimised and were forced to resign. I got to know only after two years that they had gone, rather chased away. I was heartbroken’, reads an excerpt from the book, which was written amid the pandemic.
“The failure on my part to give them protection and dignity at their workplace, the lack of sensitivity, and the injustice meted against them, were among the many reasons that compelled me to write this book. In a way, this is an apology to them and those like them, who’ve been denied opportunities and justice,” she opens up.
Chalking childhood
In the 200-page book, Gariyali pens in detail about her early interactions and acquaintance with people from the trans community. The heartwarming and unsettling narratives of a middle-aged transperson, Aapa Hussan, Gariyali’s former neighbour, and of late Shashi Gulati, her schoolmate, stand out.
“My daughter introduced me to Jeeva Subramanian, a trans actor. One day, we invited her over for lunch and discussed her life, trials and tribulations in detail and it brought back these memories — of all the people I’d met in my journey. It was vital for me to trace those memories and weave them along with the narratives of the trans persons who’ve today, broken stereotypes and barriers,” she explains.
Anecdotes of achievers
Jeeva’s life journey too finds a place in the book, alongside 11 other riveting stories of warriors and achievers from the ilk including that of Tamil Nadu Advisory Committee member Narthaki Nataraj, journalist-politician Apsara Reddy, police officer Prithika Yashini, advocate Satyasri Sharmila, activist and engineer Grace Banu, theologian and pastor Esther Bharathi, philanthropist Noori Amma, social worker Swetha Sudhakar, social worker Olga B Aaron, model Namitha Ammu, and activist Sudha. “I had the opportunity to talk to each one of them and interact in person with a few. All their journeys are nothing but extraordinary,” she shares.
In another segment, the authors, outline the historical importance of the community in the fabric of the country, peppering it with rich references from language, art, literature, pop culture and festivals. “References of transpersons can be found in the Balmiki Ramayana, Mahabharata, Kamasutra (as Tritya Pravarthi – third nature/instinct), in Buddhist Pali literature, in Islamic history (where the Abyssinian eunuchs have protected the tomb of the Prophet Muhammed since the 13th century), during the time of the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal rule,” she reveals.
Welfare measures
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling (albeit late) of the transgender community as a ‘recognised’ gender, they continue to be disfranchised and face apathy. But the authors, in the final segment of the book, offer a glimmer of hope as they chalk out the role of the government, judiciary, NGOs and corporates in transgender welfare. While some governments have set up welfare boards, included income-generating schemes, instituted awards, among other initiatives, the work to alleviate their lives has to be further strengthened and expanded, she suggests.
“The private sector should provide more jobs to people from the community on merit and corporate initiatives should also focus on financial inclusion, wherein credit is offered to them, families should stop throwing out those who identify themselves as transpersons. Society should learn sensitivity, inclusivity and come together,” she says, hopeful that her book will become a small part in paving a pivotal path to trans welfare development.
The book is priced at Rs 299 (paperback).The Kindle edition is priced at `199.