Hijra ative Society launched

October 22, 2009

Kinnar Bharati, India's largest cooperative society run solely by transgendered

males to female (M2F), or hijras, belonging to various deras and gharanas in

North India, was finally registered with the Delhi Registrar of Societies, after

nearly two years of intense mobilization and organizing across north India,

aided by UNAIDS.

Registered on the last day of Divali, 19th October 2009, a Monday, three

auspicious calendar events came together. The date according to the Hindu

calendar is Kartik-Shukra of Vikram-Samvat 2066, and it has three different

events collapsing into one – it was Padwa or Hindu New Year with Bali Patipratha

or the `opening of accounts day' and both also fall on the Bhau-Beej, the day

brothers promise protection to their sisters.

The hijras across Delhi elected four important hijra peers to the governing

council – Kinnar Bharati will have Sita, from Patel Nagar, as its president and

the other office bearers are Heena from the Trans-jamuna Region, Sangeeta from

Janakpuri and Khushi from Tuglakhabad.

Kinnar Bharati brought all the deras, or `clans', together starting April 2007

when UNAIDS organized North India's first hijra peer consultation at Manesar and

then mobilized the community to respond to the new challenges facing hijra

communities, HIV and AIDS was just one of the health issues. The Manesar

workshop was attended by over 32 peers of hijra deras from North India where

they discussed many issues, specially the constant police harassment, violence

that resulted from the lack of understanding among the general population

regarding transgendered males. Lack of education and health facilities were

other issues that came up repeatedly.

UNAIDS gave technical expertise to carry the agenda forward and hopes that

proper remigration into a community based organization would help them access

both government aid and governmental schemes. Kinnar Bharati Society is looking

at educating the public on hijra issues and problems so that Hijras are

understood better.

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