BhagmatiS

I, along with my roommates, went to Pongal to have lunch. While getting the token for lunch I saw three hijdas in the neighbor shop collecting money. Hijda means Aravaani in Tamizh. eunuch in English? Wiki has got good answer for this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia). It also gives the history of the rituals in Koothavandavar temple in Tamilnad.
[Hijda, is being used as derogatory terms, but I am using it just to mention the third sex).

I knew that they will also come to Pongal for collecting money. And they shocked us, by sitting in front of us, in the same table for eating. One of them went for washing hands, but water didnt come, and she told "Thanniyum varalai ***niyum varalai.." aloud and everyone in the hotel looked at her. (Note, I refer them as she, since they wear sarees/women dresses and they want to earn sympathy by doing so). While eating they started speaking aloud.. They dressed in a very obscene manner, using vulgar words, disturbing us as well as others in the hotel. They told to themselves that I and my cousin (my roomie) looks like brother. They went one step more and clarified with my cousin that we were brothers... It really spoiled the mood of eating and I took only half of what I usually take. And we came back to house.

I could understand that they were thrown out of the society, were teased literally and lots of other discriminations too.. But this kind of nuisances will make the society to grow more hostility among them, and will discourage people from helping them. I have seen many decent looking hijdas, dressed up in pants and T shirts moving freely in public places. They were not treated as how other nuisance-creating. The problem is with other two sexes too, who teased them and brought them to this state. But having formed their own organizations, socieities they should move out of this circle, and increase their status, avoid nuisances to the public...

All these incidents, reminded me of the character Bhagmati from the novel, Delhi (by Kushwant singh). When she was born, the doctors were not able to identify her sex. She was named Bhagmati and treated as she by her parents because they did not have any female child that time. But at the age of 4, she was handed over to hijdas in the city. She, later became a prostitute, married to another a man who already had two hijda wives. What if Bhagmati's parents took care of her, shown the true love and given her a life? Definitely, she would have led a better life with better status.

6/5/2007 - Mysore express

Nowadays I travel very frequently to my native place, madurai. (The indian philadelphia :-) ). And I like travelling in trains. Particularly to Madurai, because of the scenic views in the morning and mild breeze in the evening. So I developed a habit of standing near the door for 15 to 30 minutes to enjoy the nature.

Smoking and drinking is considered as offence in Indian trains. But I could see lots of people violating this. Yesterday, when I was coming back I could see cigarette smell coming out of the toilet. I have seen this previously also. what shocked me is when 4 guys came near the door and they opened coca cola bottles and started drinking COKE. They ate peanuts as side dish. Fortunately, they did not create much noise. But who knows, they might have gone bad after they are drunk...

I wanted to hang them outside the train like Anniyan, but I stopped with my imagination.. I went back to my seat for sleeping.