Transgender festival, 2014
To function effectively and to keep anarchy at bay, every human clan is divided along lines of a community. The hijras are no different. Most of them stay in a jamat (Urdu word meaning ‘getting together of elders’) and work both as an economic and social unit.
The head of the jamat is called the guru or the teacher. She instructs the chelas (disciples) on a day to day basis, exploits work from them, manages their activities and financial transactions. Spiritually, she is seen as a mother and protector of the hijras who, in most cases, have severed off all family ties. Hence to survive, it becomes necessary to organize themselves into a family-like clan.Read More »what is Jamat for hijra?