Hundreds of miles away in Agra, transgenders pray for floods to recede in Punjab

Transgenders or eunuchs are a regular feature during various rites and rituals, including marriages and births, as it is believed that they have spiritual powers which convert their blessings into an effective force.

Unfortunately, the fact remains that they are considered to be one of the most marginalised groups of society in the country.

Notwithstanding various beliefs, thousands of ‘kinnars’ are performing Ganesh puja during the ongoing “All India Kinnar Samaj Conference” being held in Agra. They claim their “prayers have the power to mitigate the sufferings of flood-ravaged farmers of Punjab”.

Sources say around 10,000 transgenders are taking part in the Agra meet.

These ‘kinnars’, till yet, have collected Rs 25 lakh which will be handed over to “some respectable and responsible organisation to make sure the money is directly given to the villagers instead of putting it in the CM or PM relief fund”.

This development was confirmed by a group of “kinnars” whose area of jurisdiction is Gurdaspur, Sujanpur, Pathankot and Hajipur.

Sources say there are several groups of transgenders operating in the state. Each of the groups have their own rules and clearly defined areas of operation. They do not interfere or intervene in each other’s areas.

Anonymity is the name of the game in Punjab. A spokesman of one of the groups confirmed that they never tell anybody how much amount they are donating for a cause.

“Disclosing an amount is a violation of our rules. Our seniors do not allow for such blasphemy to take place. We get money from ‘badhais’ (celebrations). We are now giving money to people who are in distress. We have very stringent rules and we follow them in letter and spirit. We are giving what we get,” he said.

The spokesman said that the “All India Kinnar Samaj Conference” has a separate rulebook that governs their affairs.

“That is why they have announced the amount of money they will be donating. We are also collecting money, but we do not divulge the sum. This is people’s money collected during ‘badhais’ and is being given back to them because times are not good for them,” he said.

In 2008, when floods hit Bihar, the city’s transgenders, moved by the tragedy, collected more than 30,000 sarees and distributed these to the needy. Two truckloads of goods were also shipped to Patna.