Train journey from Salem to Chennai in general coach is never fails me to surprise, usually, general coach journey will always give you a better understanding of society rather than your academic learnings. With this post, I just want to share my experience which took place yesterday in general dabba train journey from Salem to Chennai.
Our Indian Rails never fails to reach too late, this time it was 2 hrs. late to reach Salem junction. All the working population caught the alternative trains so the crowd was not too high as like in usual days for this particular train Finally got comfortable seats in a compartment (note: Sometimes late arrival trains gives more comfortable journey…An unwritten Indian railway system ethics) within a few minutes a group of transgenders enters in our compartment. While seeing them that too in early morning I thought they came for asking money, but one of the transgender came forward asked me that “shall we sit here?”, I replied ‘Yes’. Then they sat near to us. While the train started to departure, they also started fun among within themselves and pulling each other legs. The other passengers were annoyed by their behavior.
When the train stops each station, the bunch of people enters in our compartment they saw few vacant seats nearby us and they saw transgenders too, then they refused to sit with transgenders show weird look towards the transgenders. This was the repeated mode in every station. The bunch of people age group is around 30s, 40s, 50s and 20s too.
In Vaniyambadi Junction, the 60 years old lady enters to our compartment by selling boiled Masala Chana. When she passes over us, suddenly one of the transgender called the old lady for a plate of chana. The old lady thought I was calling her, she came towards me with the plate of chana with a smile I denied and I signed towards a transgender who called her. The old lady looked at her and she went back. Yes as a stupid common man “I thought If the people from 20s itself has a kind of stereotypical mindset towards this community, why can’t this 60 years old lady”, But the old lady proved that my thought was wrong.
The old lady came back with a plate of more quantity of masala chana and offered in a humble manner towards the transgender. Yes, humanity exists irrespective of ages. Finally, the group of transgenders was got down in Katpadi Junction, till their journey they never asked money from others, they never abused or harassed their opposite genders.
While they left the weird faces of the bunch of people turned to tension face and fighting among themselves to occupy the seats which the transgender left…..
This Incident gave me lots of insights and started question myself:
• We the Youngster usually proud to say that we are the modern generation, we are out from stereotypical odds, if think so why the gap and discrimination still exist. In our school day, if we want to abuse a guy we will raise a question on his gender. Bro lets we accept that the stereotypical odds exist among us too…
• In Mahabharata, Lord Krishna transform as Mohini (Transgender) to fulfills the needs of Aravan ( Son of Arjun and Nagini). If we praise and accept Lords gender transformation, then why can’t we accept human’s gender transformation.
• If we argue that we can’t accept them because they were to bully, abusing and harassing others. Then accept that, it’s our fault of ignorance to accept them.