After all
they are human beings.
This is the
68th year of independence for India. We have a huge country, and we
are proud of it, we should be, but I want to ask a question to each and every
people of India that “Are we really acting in the way the Indian constitution
has told us?” No, it is not the question of giving taxes or of illegal
constructions. It is the question of equality of genders: males, females and
the eunuchs. The Indian constitution states that:
WE,
THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a
SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its
citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the
unity and integrity of the Nation;
In November 2009, India agreed to
list eunuchs and transgender people as "others", distinct from males
and females, in voting rolls and voter identity cards. On April 15, 2014, the Supreme Court
of India recognized a third gender that is neither
male nor female, and as a class entitled to reservation in education and jobs,
stating "Recognition of transgender as a third gender is not a social or
medical issue but a human rights issue."
The eunuchs, hijras in India,
Bangladesh, Pakistan, Fa’afafina in Polynesia and Sworn virgins in Balkans, ‘X’
in Australia, they are all human beings, though they have been given social
justice by the Supreme court of India, are we the people of India being polite
with them? They come to take money from us and they are untouchables is all
that we know about them, major part of the urban population have this point of
view.
They are free to be entitled in jobs
and education, is it a common thing to have any third gender for a successful
job? It is not, we are not going along our constitution that is EQUALITY of
cast, creed, race and SEX. We do not see the eunuchs as a separate gender the
third gender. Is not there an option for them to live as a common human being? They
ask for some money in the traffic signals, trains and other places, we ignore
them, it is not compulsory to give them money but to treat them as human beings
equal to us. We do not think them as a separate gender says Mona Ahmed, ‘You
really do not understand. I am the third sex, not a man trying to be a woman.
It is your society's problem that you only recognize two sexes.’
Languages such as Sanskrit have
mentioned the third gender. There is an epic story given, behind the creation
of this third gender.
“ Brihaspati’s wife tara( the goddess
of the stars) fell in love with the moon god ( Chandra ). Brihaspati exhausted
went to the king of the devas, lord Indra, and told him to give his wife back.
When he found his wife, he discovered that she is pregnant and on asking
several times his wife told that she was pregnant because of Chandra.
Brihaspati was furious, he cursed that the baby born out of tara’s womb would
be nor male neither female it would be a neuter gender.”
I would like to ask just one
question, If the third gender people can treat us as human beings why can’t we?
