Societal Exclusion of the Transgender Community in India

The word ‘transgender’ refers to people who are not conforming to their gender at birth.  It comprises of both male who transgress their gender to female (MTF) and female who transgress their gender to male (FTM). The term also includes transsexual people, multi-gendered and gender nonconforming people. All sorts of transgender population exist in all societies and cultures from time immemorial to the present day. But these people face injustice, hatred, inequality, exclusion, intolerance, assault, irritation, harassment, cruelty, maltreatment and oppression both in their home as well as in the society. Even though this community exists from antiquity, not even population studies are carried on them by the human society. Awareness is being created among parents and public to educate themselves about transgender issues. The term ‘Third gender’ gives them some sort of approval in the society and media is also bringing to light the transgender people who have acclaimed some sort of status in the society. Of the two strands of Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, one concentrates on the Kashmir issue – the everlasting tussle between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and the other delves on the lives of the transgender community. This paper is an attempt to understand the societal exclusion of the transgender community and the traumatic experiences of a Muslim mother when she delivers a multi-gendered baby with reference to the mentioned novel. Like many transgender people, Aftab too faces teasing from other children in the society. The pressure encountered by him from all walks of life makes him quit his home and take refuge in a graveyard and finally providing shelter to the next generation of transgender people. Aftab who transforms as Anjum becomes anxious about the future of her next generation and begins to live in a graveyard and like a tree she shelters the next generation hijras like Saeeda, giving them peace of mind which the turbulent outside world does not give them.