On the day of the Nirvan, the initiate (also known as ‘nirvan’) is woken up at the crack of dawn by the dai ma (midwife) and her assistant. He is directed to have a bath during which the dai ma offers prayers to Bahuchara Mata to make her knife sharp and rapacious and to enable a successful operation.
Even though hijras are considered neuter or neither man nor woman, they identify exclusively with the female gender. They take great pride in their femininity and enjoy dressing up in female clothes such as the saree, salwaar-kameez (a long Indian shirt worn with roomy pants) and western clothes. They grow their hair long like women and make use of typical Indian female adornments like earrings, necklaces, bangles, anklets and the bindi (the round, usually red dot that adorns the forehead of Hindu women). My experiences with hijras all over India prove that they are given to exaggerating their femininity. They walk with a swinging gate provocatively swaying their hips, talk and gesticulate more dramatically than genetic females. Nowadays, with beauty parlors mushrooming in every nook of India, it is not uncommon to see hijras getting their eyebrows shaped, legs waxed or a facial done.
I had the opportunity to attend Miss Koovagam, a transgender beauty pageant held every year in May as a part of the Koovagam festivities. As I settled myself comfortably on one of the seats, I faced a moderate sized stage. Unlike other beauty pageants where the judges sit in a panel facing the stage, the … Read more
This is how she looks and talks – Rose Venkatesan, the first transgendered filmmaker in India. After her MTF sex change . In spite of having the world and their own bodies pitted against them, a few from the LGBT community have emerged triumphant. These select have been successful in defying all odds and realizing … Read more
Recommended Hijra Movie –
A 25 minute documentary that contrasts the life of urban elite transsexual Ghazal Dhaliwal with that of humble, illiterate hijra Nadia Uvtukuri is also a moving piece of work.
Recommended movie about hijra, the third gender of India –
Movie : Naanu Avanalla Avalu
Director : B.S.Lingadevaru
Producer : Ravi R Garini
Cast : Sanchari Vijay
The trailers of B.S Lingadevaru’s Kannada movie ‘Naanu Avanalla Avalu’ starts off with the following potent dialogue:
“I am fed up of this dual life
If I die, I’d die as a woman”
Recommended movies about hijra, the third gender of India – Mahesh Bhatt’s 1997 film Tamanna (meaning ‘Desire’) have made an indelible impression.
The sensitive, well-crafted Tamanna is said to be based on the life of a real life hijra called Tiku who lived in the Mahim area of Mumbai up to 1997, at least. The story line of the movie is as follows:
The YouTube video titled: “bangalore sex workers in majestick” shows how hijras or female prostitutes catch customers.
They sit, stand, stroll somewhere on the street and send secret signs and gestures to let customers know that they are waiting for a contact. For them it is risky. Policemen can catch them and interrogate, sometimes
Be an armchair traveler to the world of Hijras, the Third Gender. This is a comprehensive travel book about Hijra of India if you want to find what Hijra is.
Title: Transgendered People of India
Subtitle: Forsaken Tributaries
Series: Hijra,the Third Gender
The author has published seven books in the series of “Hijra, the Third Gender” which are autobiography style fictions. This is a non-fiction book based on the author’s hearing and witnessing as a foreigner in India as well as
“Hijra, the Third Gender” series consists of the following books. They are all stories about “hijra” but each story is independent from each other.
A Japanese businessman travels to India and is deeply moved by the Roma-style music and dance that he saw in the state of Rajasthan. He actually falls in love with a tall beautiful dancer called Sangita. He is totally enchanted by Sangita, who takes him to a whole