Dr Renate Syed, German Indologist and Sanskritist, can speak Hindi and Urdu with the ease of a local. It's her skill in linguistics, along with a deep-rooted interest in Indian culture, that inspired her to author a book on the life of the third gender in India and Pakistan in 2015. It's been four years since, but her fascination with the hijras is not over. She is currently in the city to deliver a lecture on interacting with hijras at Mumbai University.

Dr Renate Syed is in the city to deliver a lecture at Mumbai University in Kalina. Pic/Shadab Khan