'Took to begging' for lack of food and money, says transgender

Among the many communities badly affected by the pandemic is the transgender community across the country With no income and no documents to avail government benefits the transgender community is left in the lurch According to official data 2011 census 480 lakh transgenders live in the country of which around 10 lakh reside in MumbaiLaxmi Narayan Tripathi a transgender rights activist said It is unfortunate that the discrimination continues and at a time when the government should have come forward and have supported the community they have been left out We are not looking for sympathy but empathy with dignityWith no income for the past four months meeting daily expenses has become very difficult for the communityNeeraj Kohli with his new car which he had to sell during lockdown right Aryan Pasha showing his buildSahil Parmar alias Shalini who underwent the first part of his Gender Reassignment Surgery at LTMG Hospital Sion on March 14 was looking forward to finally live a normal life However the weekly hospital visits and medications have drained him financiallyA native of Vadodara Gujarat Parmar lived in a rented accommodation in Virar and worked at an imitation jewellery manufacturing unit in Malad With a monthly salary of Rs 7000 he would pay the house rent and manage other expensesCOVID19 Doctor Sends Wifes Sample In Name Of Domestic Help BookedPrivate hospitals quoted Rs 150 lakh for the surgery while at Sion hospital it was Rs 25000 which I managed I had no one apart from my elder sister to support me I dont even have any government document to avail ration the 23yearold saidNirvair KaurFor Parmar who lost his mother a decade ago the fear of COVID infection postsurgery was also a concern I could not travel to Sion amid the lockdown and there were no general practitioners either My sister soon began to change my dressing but I had to struggle to get my hormone injections every 20 days said the youngster who shifted to Vadodara with her sister a few days after the surgeryWith the father and siblings taking time to accept the Gender Reassignment Surgery Parmar has been living in a rented accommodation in his hometown as wellAll my legal documents which I had submitted for changing my gender are also stuck due to the lockdown My girlfriend living in Virar has been very supportive I hope that the lockdown is lifted soon so that I can start my new life and return to Mumbai with my new identity he saidNot easy to get jobsNirvair Kaur 44 a native of Punjab had to change three cities because of her transwoman identity A postgraduate in computer science from Punjab University she spent most of her life in Mumbai before she had to shift to Goa and then DelhiBorn a male Kaur underwent surgery a year ago to become a woman I tried to get a job but it was not easy for me to convince people that I was a female and therefore took to begging on the streets of South West Delhi along with other transgendersThe pandemic and lockdown further affected our community members who are left without food and money The transgender community members and trusts like Humsafar have been supporting some of them with foodgrains and R1500 monthly she saidLoans to repayFor transman Neeraj Kohli alias Neelam 30 who stays with his family in Jahangirpuri West Delhi worked as a driver earning monthly Rs 20000 but the pandemic has left him jobless I bought a fourwheeler in January this year with a down payment of Rs 150 lakh and took a loan for the rest of R5 lakh The monthly EMI was Rs 13323 My car ran for barely 39 days and I earned Rs 81000 through the travel company he saidI had no option but to sell my car at Rs 127 lakh and the new owner has promised to transfer EMI monthly in my account which the bank would deduct for four years I have no money to pay the bank and even my car is gone he addedPasha to the rescueAll of these people are being supported by Aryan Pasha Indias first transman bodybuilder along with Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi The two have been trying to provide support to transgenders HIV patients oldage centres wherever possiblePasha who was detected COVID19 positive along with his father Javed Akthar Pasha and grandmother has recovered from it I was venturing out to help our community which is when I must have contracted the virus However due to my regular exercise and food supplements I was able to recover without any complications he saidRs 1500Monthly aid being provided to transgenders by Humsafar trustCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news