The third gender rises to a social challenge
Written By
Divyesh Singh
| Updated:
Eunuch Lakshmi Tripathi overcame many obstacles as she travelled the world on a journey for social change
Eunuch Lakshmi Tripathi overcame many obstacles as she travelled the world on a journey for social change
Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi is well-known in Thane. Not only is she a classically-trained dancer and choreographer, but she is also an activist working to educate society about Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Lakshmi is also a eunuch.
The 27-year-old Thane resident has been working for the upliftment of eunuchs in society through her NGO, Astitva.
Lakshmi graduated from Mithibai College where she read Arts, and then pursued a post-graduate degree in Bharatnatyam, after which she choreographed several stage shows, cut music albums, and has also done a few projects for TV and films.
Speaking to DNA, Lakshmi said, “My parents have always supported me in whatever I have wanted to do. I always wanted to be a dancer, so I got myself trained in classical dancing and then did choreography. There were a few occasions when I faced problems from people in school and college, but once people got to know me, they became my friends.”
In 2002, Lakshmi became president of the NGO, DAI Welfare Society, which is the first registered and working organisation for eunuchs in South Asia. The NGO was at the forefront of the protest against deputy chief minister RR Patil's clampdown and eventual ban on dance bars in Mumbai. In 2006 she started Astitva, a CBO (Community Based Organisation) working for the upliftment of sexual minorities. Astitva has tackled several issues related to Aids awareness and human rights related issues in Thane and Mumbai.
Lakshmi had recently returned from New York where she attended the UNAIDS conference, where she is a member of the civil society task force. She is also a member of the Bill Gates Foundation. She is also a visiting faculty member at the School of Dance and Theatre at Amsterdam. She is aided in her Astitva activities by a group of eunuchs from Mumbai and Thane.
The photographer Anita Khemka, who works for the Photo Ink Agency, is even planning a photography exhibition based on Lakshmi's life. This, however, will not be the first time her life is being placed in the public domain. She was the lead protagonist in the German filmmaker Thomas Lothman's documentary entitled Between the line: The third gender of India.
Though born a Hindu, Lakshmi says she is a believer of Sufism and visits Saint Haji Malang's shrine near Kalyan every year during the annual urus.
Lakshmi's life force is her cause: “There are no employment opportunities for sexual minorities, because of which many of them are forced to work as prostitutes or bar dancers. If the government employs them, they can also lead a simple life,” she says.
s_divyesh@dnaindia.net
Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi is well-known in Thane. Not only is she a classically-trained dancer and choreographer, but she is also an activist working to educate society about Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Lakshmi is also a eunuch.
The 27-year-old Thane resident has been working for the upliftment of eunuchs in society through her NGO, Astitva.
Lakshmi graduated from Mithibai College where she read Arts, and then pursued a post-graduate degree in Bharatnatyam, after which she choreographed several stage shows, cut music albums, and has also done a few projects for TV and films.
Speaking to DNA, Lakshmi said, “My parents have always supported me in whatever I have wanted to do. I always wanted to be a dancer, so I got myself trained in classical dancing and then did choreography. There were a few occasions when I faced problems from people in school and college, but once people got to know me, they became my friends.”
In 2002, Lakshmi became president of the NGO, DAI Welfare Society, which is the first registered and working organisation for eunuchs in South Asia. The NGO was at the forefront of the protest against deputy chief minister RR Patil's clampdown and eventual ban on dance bars in Mumbai. In 2006 she started Astitva, a CBO (Community Based Organisation) working for the upliftment of sexual minorities. Astitva has tackled several issues related to Aids awareness and human rights related issues in Thane and Mumbai.
Lakshmi had recently returned from New York where she attended the UNAIDS conference, where she is a member of the civil society task force. She is also a member of the Bill Gates Foundation. She is also a visiting faculty member at the School of Dance and Theatre at Amsterdam. She is aided in her Astitva activities by a group of eunuchs from Mumbai and Thane.
The photographer Anita Khemka, who works for the Photo Ink Agency, is even planning a photography exhibition based on Lakshmi's life. This, however, will not be the first time her life is being placed in the public domain. She was the lead protagonist in the German filmmaker Thomas Lothman's documentary entitled Between the line: The third gender of India.
Though born a Hindu, Lakshmi says she is a believer of Sufism and visits Saint Haji Malang's shrine near Kalyan every year during the annual urus.
Lakshmi's life force is her cause: “There are no employment opportunities for sexual minorities, because of which many of them are forced to work as prostitutes or bar dancers. If the government employs them, they can also lead a simple life,” she says.
s_divyesh@dnaindia.net