Odisha MBA transgender weds man
"I salute Basudeba Nayak for taking such a bold step to marry me. Basudeba was unfazed by the social stigma attached to a transgender like me. I also prove those wrong who think a transgender person cannot marry a normal man," said Meghna in her bridal attire at Nayapally Durga Mandap. 32-year-old Basudeba, employed as a supervisor in a private security agency here, is the estranged husband of a woman, who ditched him and married another man in 2012. Basudeba, a resident of Jatni on city outskirts, has a four-year-old son.
"Since I cannot attain motherhood, I will treat Basudeba's child as my own son. We three will stay in Bhubaneswar," said Meghna, who currently works as a journalist with a vernacular weekly paper. Meghna said she underwent sex change four years ago.
Basudeba said he came in contact with Meghna on Facebook a year ago. "I told Meghna about my family discord. I also discussed with my family members and relatives after I decided to marry Meghna. I do not find anything weird in marrying the transgender person. The Supreme Court recently gave the transgender a special identity in the society. I am not worried about general perceptions of public," said Basudeba.
People of all walks of life, including members of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and mayor A N Jena attended the wedding ceremony. Family members of Meghna and relatives of the groom were also present.
Meghna's father Jaya Krushna Sahoo, who stays at Bharatpur on city outskirts, said he gave consent for the marriage. "Meghna was born like a boy. I have two other sons. But we witnessed gender-related abnormality with him around 10 years ago. Meghna left home and settled in Bhubaneswar. She chose social activism. Basudeba earlier this month approached me with the marriage proposal. I agreed," said Sahoo, a driver and small businessman.
4 members of transgender gang held for robbery on highways
AGRA: Police have arrested four members of a transgender gang for their alleged involvement in various cases of robbery on highways. They also seized Rs4,46,000, a country gun and a live cartridge.
The accused were identified as Sonu alias Sonia from Sadabad, Satendra Singh alias Rupali from Hathras, Shamsuddin alias Dolly from Mathura and Chotu alias Priya from Hathras
Talking to mediapersons at Itmad-ud Daulah police station, circle officer of Chhatta, BS Tyagi, said that the four accused were nabbed from Rambagh bridge on Wednesday.
A volunteer helps underprivileged children during an activity to mark Prayaas Day.
BENGALURU: For the first time in the history of the Indian Institute
of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), members of the transgender community
walked through the gates as guests. The occasion was Prayaas Day 2017.
The annual event organized by the executive post-graduate programme in
management (EPGPM) embraces a different social cause every year, with
social inclusion being the common theme. In a unique combination, this
year saw transgenders from the Payana Foundation interact with orphaned
children from Surabhi Adwaya Foundation, all with the intent of spreading awareness about transgender rights.
Vasu Jha, member of the organizing committee, said the idea to bring together the two groups came to them out of the blue. "A few collegemates and their family members were in a market and we saw some transgenders coming our way. Most of us stepped back, as we normally do when they approach us. However, to our surprise, the kids with us started clapping and playing with them. We could see that children, without their preconceived notions, are much more accepting."
The day-long event enabled the interaction of 40-odd kids and several members of the transgender community, who got along like a house on fire. The children learnt new things about the sexual minority through group presentations, skits and dances.
Sowmya, co-founder of Prayaas, is something of a legend in the community. She fought for the Gandhinagar assembly seat in 2013 on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, alongside heavyweights like Dinesh Gundu Rao.
"To be considered capable of being a leader by even one person is an achievement for somebody from our community. We have learnt through our struggles that being politically active is the only way to fight for our rights, as nobody else will. Though I lost, I came to know that somewhere between 500-1,000 people had voted for me. When I went campaigning I received a lot of support from youngsters and women," Sowmya said, adding that she also received threats.
The event offered a great learning experience for the children. Their joint poster-making and attempts at enacting skits probed stereotypes normally associated with the community. Amrutha, Sanjana, Mahalakshmi, Nethra and their friends appeared at home with the transgenders as they happily chatted away. The name of the community-based organization (CBO) comes from the Sanskrit word payana, meaning journey.
"It's symbolic of our journey towards equality. We want to be a part of mainstream society with equal rights. People should recognize that we can also contribute to society. Through our work, we try to make these transgenders more capable, confident and aware of their legal and medical rights through counselling," said Yash Sharma, co-founder and board member of Payana.
Saroja from Madurai, one such transgender associated with Payana, was reduced to tears as she took to the stage to express herself.
"In the minds of many, transgenders are equal to the devil. They treat us with so much disgust. Even our families have abandoned us. But still we want people to know that we don't want money, only your respect," Saroja pointed out.
The accused were identified as Sonu alias Sonia from Sadabad, Satendra Singh alias Rupali from Hathras, Shamsuddin alias Dolly from Mathura and Chotu alias Priya from Hathras
Talking to mediapersons at Itmad-ud Daulah police station, circle officer of Chhatta, BS Tyagi, said that the four accused were nabbed from Rambagh bridge on Wednesday.
Transgender power celebrated at IIM-B Prayaas Day
Vasu Jha, member of the organizing committee, said the idea to bring together the two groups came to them out of the blue. "A few collegemates and their family members were in a market and we saw some transgenders coming our way. Most of us stepped back, as we normally do when they approach us. However, to our surprise, the kids with us started clapping and playing with them. We could see that children, without their preconceived notions, are much more accepting."
The day-long event enabled the interaction of 40-odd kids and several members of the transgender community, who got along like a house on fire. The children learnt new things about the sexual minority through group presentations, skits and dances.
Sowmya, co-founder of Prayaas, is something of a legend in the community. She fought for the Gandhinagar assembly seat in 2013 on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, alongside heavyweights like Dinesh Gundu Rao.
"To be considered capable of being a leader by even one person is an achievement for somebody from our community. We have learnt through our struggles that being politically active is the only way to fight for our rights, as nobody else will. Though I lost, I came to know that somewhere between 500-1,000 people had voted for me. When I went campaigning I received a lot of support from youngsters and women," Sowmya said, adding that she also received threats.
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Hotel Prices You Just Can't Beattripsinsider.comThe event offered a great learning experience for the children. Their joint poster-making and attempts at enacting skits probed stereotypes normally associated with the community. Amrutha, Sanjana, Mahalakshmi, Nethra and their friends appeared at home with the transgenders as they happily chatted away. The name of the community-based organization (CBO) comes from the Sanskrit word payana, meaning journey.
"It's symbolic of our journey towards equality. We want to be a part of mainstream society with equal rights. People should recognize that we can also contribute to society. Through our work, we try to make these transgenders more capable, confident and aware of their legal and medical rights through counselling," said Yash Sharma, co-founder and board member of Payana.
Saroja from Madurai, one such transgender associated with Payana, was reduced to tears as she took to the stage to express herself.
"In the minds of many, transgenders are equal to the devil. They treat us with so much disgust. Even our families have abandoned us. But still we want people to know that we don't want money, only your respect," Saroja pointed out.
Marthoma church to help transgenders
Father Abin Srampickal Abraham of the Navodaya movement said that they will offer options to integrate the community with the mainstream. The church project, according to coordinators, does not encourage sexual reassignment surgery but will provide financial assistance to those who are in need of the same.
"We are not completely encouraging SRS as such, however, in cases it is essential we will provide financial as sistance," said father Abin.
