Anushree Rathi, Savitribai Phule University, Pune
“Hari se tu mat het kar, Kar harijan se het,
Maal mulk hari det hai, Harijan hari hi det”
-Kabir
“Loving God alone won’t suffice, also love the men of God,
God may give you materialistic things but God’s men will enlighten your way to God itself”
ABSTRACT
Growing up in a country like India, “Hijras” are often seen on auspicious events at home, such as birth of a child or marriages. Despite being harbingers of good luck, they are often labelled as different and treated as a socially outcast community. Hijra is name of a member of transgender community in Western India. The presence of transgender is not new, but could be recognized from a time immemorial as could be seen in India’s epic literature and temple sculptures. Even after some recognition and social acceptance, their status has barely improved since India’s independence in 1947. Most common livelihoods for transgender community include dancing, begging and engaging in sex work. Multiple data suggest that the transgenders are highly prone to HIV infections, and are brutally harassed by police. The main purpose of this research paper is to understand the socio-economic status of transgenders in India. However, to understand the status of transgenders it is significant to understand the problems they are experiencing and the recommendations that need to be implemented to provide them better standing in the society.
