TIRUVANNAMALAI: This thirty-year-old transwoman's joy knows no bounds as her long-cherished dream came true when she got selected for the police service. After clearing the written and oral tests, S Sivanya received the appointment orders from the hands of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin four days ago.
Sivanya, of Pavupattu village in Tiruvannamalai town, has been recruited as Sub Inspector (SI) of police in the law and order category.
Ignoring the taunts hurled on her, she continued to focus on her preparation for the competitive examination and it finally yielded the desired results.
“I don’t know how to describe my joy. I have been focusing on preparation for clearing the competitive exam. My perseverance paid off well,” she says.
The graduate in commerce had to undergo an agonising wait as the pandemic lockdown delayed the process of physical and medical tests and the interview.
Sivanya notes, “The formalities should have been completed by last year but owing to the pandemic lockdown, I had to wait but did not lose my cool.”
She is the first transwoman in Tiruvannamalai district to make it to the police service. But she does not intend to be content with the current job.
“My ambition is to clear group-I (TNPSC) exam and become a DSP,” she says.
She attributes family support to her success in life. “My parents and brothers supported me well. They kept on encouraging me.”
Tamil Nadu’s first transwoman SI Prithika Yashini remains a role model for transwomen aspiring to get into government jobs.
“Her success in getting into the police service gives us the courage to fight all odds in achieving our ambition,” Sivanya noted, adding that if transwomen having education can get help from family and society, they can easily get into a decent job and lead a respectable life.
Sivanya had served as a ‘para legal volunteer’ at the district court in Tiruvannamalai before giving up the job and joining a coaching centre for competitive examinations.
Her elder brother Stalin is preparing for competitive examinations while younger brother Tamilnidhi is serving as a police constable.