By Narayan Sahoo
Cuttack: Saloni and Neetu have grown up with slurs like 'chhakka' and 'maichia', the lewd comments that were spat out randomly by people, including family members, with derision. They were mocked, insulted, and pushed to the margins. But both held on to their way, and identity - to finally come out of the humiliation they faced. Today, after years, they are scripting exceptional stories as trans women, who do not pay heed to the labels and laugh out loud to live the life they want. ETV Bharat catches up with both to hear their story of struggle, survival, and incredible strength.
Saloni Maharana was once Shankar, a 14-year-old boy in a small Odisha village. But she always felt different from the normal boys. “After Class 10, I actually understood that in a man's body I am a woman. I loved to wear sarees, headbands and anklets. But my parents were very upset with my behaviour. I was beaten by my father many times and he used to say I am a blot on the family," says Saloni who, disgusted with the treatment meted out to her, left home in a fit of rage. Her family too rejected her and never wanted to bring her back.
It was when Saloni was begging in the train, that one of her uncles saw and dragged her home. "Then also I was meted out with rough treatment. I was given to eat in separate utensils and an area was earmarked for me to stay. My family was not keen on seeing my face," reminisces Saloni, the 36-year-old, with pain in her voice.
It was just before Covid struck that she once again ran away from home and while loitering at a place met some women from the transgender community. "I narrated my condition and I was accepted. We have mothers in the community who care for us and understand our pain. I found a new home in Cuttack. They were like me and I felt wanted.”
Since there are many Self Help Groups of transgender people, Saloni, as a member of the SHG, got an offer to work as a sanitation worker for the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC). Today, she cleans the city’s wards, collecting garbage with a battery-operated truck for Rs 500 a day. “Even while working people mocked me in the initial days. They would crack jokes and run away. But I ignored them and kept doing my job. Now, things have changed a lot. It seems we are accepted and respected. People address us as 'madam', no 'chhakka' or 'maichia'. says Saloni, who could not clear matriculation exams. She tried to appear in the supplementary exams but the situation was not conducive and she backed out.
Saloni takes pride in doing the work with head held high. “Society calls it a small job, but I find it dignified. I do not beg, I wok with dignity and earn well,” says Saloni.
Her duty as sanitation worker begins at 6.30 am and ends at 11.30. But she heads to work at a sewage plant after that and works there from 2 pm to 10 pm.
Neetu’s journey is no different. She was also abused and hurt by her own people and friends. "In school, my friends did not sit with me, they abhorred me. They would tear my books and copies and steal my tiffin box. There were many days when I stayed hungry, but there was no way I could behave as a boy when I felt like a woman from within," expresses Neetu.
At home too, she faced rejection and humiliation. “I used to sport long hair but my family would cut it weirdly when I was asleep. They broke my bangles,” she says. With no support, she left home for seven months and found solace in the transgender community. After seven months at Bhadrak, her family took her back. "I am happy to be accepted with dignity now by my family. I stay with them and earn well to sustain myself and my family," she adds.
Neetu, after joining the transgender community, during Covid, got trained in driving. Soon after, she was also engaged as a sanitation worker and drove a garbage truck for CMC. She faced insults from people in the initial days but with time everyone has been accepting of the community. "Now people want to see our face first thing in the morning. They consider us lucky," Neetu, a class 8 pass, says with a big smile. “I also perform dance shows occasionally at orchestras. I’m happy, earning honestly.”
Cuttack Municipal Corporation has employed about 20 transgender people for sanitation works, garbage collection, and water pump operation besides its sewage treatment plant. “We are in fact the first in the state to give so many trans individuals dignified jobs,” claims Subash Chandra Singh, Mayor, CMC, who recently spoke about the initiative to a visiting U.S. delegation.
More than employment, it is about their identity and respect. We have many other plans on the anvil for people of the community and will soon make them operational, he assured.
Stories of Saloni and Neetu are just two out of many untold narratives which need to be spoken. At least those being denied education, dignity, and opportunities would get a seat at the same table.
“We have examples of many trans women who have risen high in positions. We urge the government to mainstream us. We too can do great work provided we get equal opportunities. If the government gave trans people jobs, they would never stand on the streets and do what a majority of us are doing and being detested,” Saloni says. “Give us work, and we will show how we can live with pride,” adds Neetu.
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