Wings of change

All history is the history of conflict and conflict is the driving force of social change, Karl Marx opines. If we happen to glance at the cumulative history of trans politics and movements over the hiatus of years, alongside the tumultuous pressure of transphobia working as a parallel antagonistic force, it will be no surprise to us that such movements have gained considerable momentum as of late. For conflict only adds fuel to the rising flames of a non-conforming mind to engender expressions powerful enough to lead the society to new dimensions. With regards to our transgender persons, their conflicts know no end-theirs is a conflict of identity, of gender expressions, a conflict against social acceptance, isolation, discrimination, oppression, prejudice and what not. And when a community oozes conflict from every pore, it also attains the Marxian motor force to bring about a change, and becomes a strength to reckon with, relentlessly pushing aside the very barriers which impeded its progress.

Things are no different in the trans scenario of India with trans people showing tremendous mettle in pushing aside gender binaries in various spheres of life and making inroads into the so-called mainstream of society. One such glaring example is Prithika Yashini, a 25-year old trans-persona who is all set to become the first transgender Sub-Inspector of Indian Police to take charge in Tamil Nadu. It was not a cakewalk for Yashini who had to be victimized to a prolonged legal tussle over her eligibility to the SI post. Happy with the final outcome, the Deccan Chronicle dated 6th of November, 2015 chronicles her saying, “I am very happy. Now, they cannot reject me. But I don't know yet if the judge has set any preconditions to my appointment."She added, "This verdict is not just my victory, but rather it is a win for the entire transgender community."

Yashini's life reeks of conflict and is a daunting tale of battling the odds of existence. Born and brought up as Pradeep Kumar, she completed her schooling in Salem district. Coming to terms with the biological changes that her body was undergoing, she underwent a sex reassignment surgery in 2011 after moving to Chennai. To add to her miseries, her family had disowned her, forcing her to move in with her transgender peers in the city. Undeterred by the sway of circumstances, the quirk of fate, whatever you call it, Yashini survived. Not only did she survive, she came out as bold and ambitious enough to file an application for recruitment to the post of SI with the Tamil

Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board. Her application was rejected on grounds of absence of a third-gender column of applicants. A heartbroken Yashini sought legal recourse at Madras High Court and the rest is history.

The High Court of Madras accordingly allowed Yashini to give the written test by virtue of an interim order. The written test is the first stage of the three stages of recruitment- written, physical endurance test and viva-voce. Yashini also filed a series of writ petitions and succeeded in lowering the cut-off bar for the written examination from 28.5 to 25, reports NDTV. She qualified all physical tests with flying colours, but missed the 100 meters dash by one second. The designs of destiny were benevolent this time and in a landmark judgment on 6th November, 2015, the Madras High Court directed the TNUSRB to appoint her as Sub-Inspector of Police, declaring her "entitled to get the job”. The judgment further directed the board to enlist the third gender as a separate category, apart from the rigid gender binaries of "Male" and "Female".

A brave heart and a true achiever, Yashini refuses to draw the line here. She has her eyes trained on the coveted IPS post and aspires to crack the UPSC.

The court while declaring Yashini's appointment said that it was an event of great social impact and that it hoped she would discharge her duties with dedication and commitment to advance the cause of other transgender.

Yashini embodies the spirit of the trans community in India - a community that dares to dream in the face of adversities and endeavours to frutify them into reality. We wonder if it's adversity that inflames their ambition to soar above the sordid backstreets of life and claim public recognition and fundamental rights for themselves. And as we keep wondering, Shakespeare reminds us-

"Sweet are the uses of adversity.

Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,

Wears yet a precious jewel in his head."

By Aritra Chatterjee. Asutosh College, Kolkata.