Saturday, October 25, 2008

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Ever come across someone who is confused - and the one who approaches a third person for the decision he has to make - we always come across someone like that, and provide our suggestion on choosing a mobile phone, neck-ties, shoes and whatever.

I have come across the eunuch stories right from my childhood, Arjuna's Curse in Mahabharatha, and in School History books "Allauddin Khilji and his believed to be lover an eunuch, Mailk-kaffur (that ruthless military brat)".

I have always hated the Eunuchs, Hijras as they are called in India.
I believed them to be very confused beings, they are so confused that they don't even know their sexual identity..! (They are either males acting as females or the other way)

But that hate was anchored in ignorance, because I never knew that something called Intersexuality existed ever, being handicapped like blind, born without limbs, was all i knew - i never thought that a person could be born with a condition that could affect his sexual identity -  This condition is known as True hermaphroditism in medical terms.

And why am i posting on this Controversial Topic..!!, The reason...

".. A few days back i was waiting at Silk-Board junction (Bangalore), the signal was "DON'T WALK". Right then I got a call from one of my friends, with so much involved in the conversation - i accidentally stepped out to cross the road with a belief that the signal has changed - and suddenly a strong grip pulled me back onto the platform, and in seconds a biker whizzed past me - and stared me back. Probably he had showered some words of praise for me.
I turned to thank my saviour... and i immediately pull off my hand. It was an Hijra(Third Gender). (S)He looked straight down at me, i avoided eye contact and moved on.

I had moved a few steps, and something inside me said that i was rude and not fair. I turned back to look at my saviour, and (S)He was nowhere to be found.I thought,"I should have atleast mumbled a Thanks to that Hijra".
I had directed hate towards such people blindly - because i thought they are not moral, i had experience during my college-trip to Hyderabad, where the third-sex had harassed my fellow classmates, and demanded money.

But, not all are the same - i understood then".


I checked on web to find out what stuff they actually are, and finally found something to learn about.

Most of these people are thrown out of their families and society, they are looked down as an out-cast and alien.With no where to go, they end up begging/harassing for money or as prostitutes.May be they have very few options to choose.

And i realised that there is nothing to hate about them.

And i wondered what of this following case,
(1) People born with proper parts (reproductive-system),
(2) But they have no lust for women, and
(3) They have lust for men.

:The Homosexuals? -  "I believed they are of people - with their hormones gone wild somewhere " - because I saw man & woman make natural partners and the contrary position seem unacceptable partially because in India homosexuality in society is shunned & as from a Muslim perspective homosexuality is considered prohibited, like other prohibitions of consuming intoxicants, sex outside marriage, consuming pork, etc.

Complexity is one of the most intiguing factor - that fascinate humans to search for knowledge.I have had a dosage of a complex-idea.Finally i got the difference -

- People born with improper/indistinguishable reproductive system.
- People born perfectly alright - but with some hormonal imbalance (Gays,Lesbo,Bi and Transgenders)



Mona Ahmed to Dayanita Singh (Author): " I am the third sex, not a man trying to be a woman. It is your society's problem that you only recognize two sexes ".







With social movements campainging for recognition for a third sex, and in 2005, Indian passport application forms were updated with three gender options: M, F, and E (for male, female, and eunuch, respectively).

~ Vikruti Evam Prakriti (what seems un-natural is also natural)

(Rig Veda)

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