laxmi Narayan Tripathi, speaks her heart out in a no-holds barred conversation at the release of her book, Main Hijra, Main laxmi, at the fifth edition of the Indian language Festival. By Devi Singh
Dressed in a beige sari, complimenting with a brightly made up face with enough hints of red going strong, in the form of her signature lipstick and vermillion, Tripathi waxes eloquent on a gamut of issues ranging from the status quo of transgender rights in the country to how the third gender was celebrated in Indian mythology.
A far cry from the insipid, unglamorous social activist, Tripathi manages to give most women, a run for their money. But she doesn’t let her looks overtake the gravity of the discourse she has taken reigns of. She entertains and impresses everyone, in equal parts with flair. Her extravagant dressing sense is a pure manifestation of the ebullient person wrapped and hidden in layers of garb. Elaborating on the power of red, Tripathi tells us, “It’s all about presentation. I love being the red riding hood. I love to dress up, this is who I am. I can never be the boring activist.”
The very decision to come out with an autobiography titled Main Hijra, Main laxmi at the age of 35, seems like an aberration. But when you are laxmi Narayan Tripathi, everything in life seems like one. The book comes across as more of a memoir than an autobiography. After the initial hesitation and reluctance, Tripathi eventually made her mind to come up with a book on her life. The book has been out in Marathi, English, Hindi and Gujarati. “This is the first hijra book in four languages,” says Tripathi with élan.
Undoubtedly, one of the most celebrated transgender activists in the country, Tripathi doesn’t mince words and loves to be rather politically incorrect. Probably, it’s her contagious effervescence that attracts people to her. “Back in 1999 when I started raising my voice against the indiscrimination faced by my community, people couldn’t believe a hijra could even speak in English. I don’t know when I gained the celebrity status. I guess I was always a celebrity. People kept me important even when they teased or humiliated me. I was an epitome of womanhood in sexuality and I enjoyed it,” she shares.
Being one of the few voices in the transgender community, she has represented India at various international platforms. “Section 377 is not a minority issue. It demeans not only the lGBT community but also the heterosexuals. I believe the change has to start at the grass-roots level with schools. It’s about education and policies. But the most basic thing is the change in outlook. The mainstream society should accept us,” says points out.
Speaking on how honest her autobiography is, she says, “Of course, 176 pages can’t define laxmi but still the book is full of my life. The childhood anecdotes are inspiring.” Her next book, The red lipstick: Men in my life, by Penguin books, is a sequel to her autobiography which will shed light on the relationships she has had with the men in her life. “It’s not going to be only about the men I loved but also hated,” Tripathi says.
“There was always an existence and acceptance ofkinnars in the Indian society. They had an identity and were well respected even during the Mughal era. The archaic British law left us helpless as they snatched our rights. The authority could have kept us in the mainstream but they couldn’t somehow understand the concept of kinnar and therefore ostracised us. Even the free India never really accepted us,” she adds.
Tripathi’s strength essentially comes from her family which has always supported her as any family would. “My dad used to say, if parents of children with special needs don’t disown their kids, then why should I give up on my laxmiIJ I got the best of education from where I got the rationale which is crucial to make out the difference between right and wrong. My family didn’t throw me out like the practice goes in India,” says she.
“The society told me I was different. I never felt I was any different from other kids. I never had any issues with my sexuality. I always felt normal and that’s exactly what the title of the book says. It’s about claiming I have an identity and a body which I love,” she concludes.