THE THIRD GENDER.

It was an uncertain time of the early 80s.

Me and My younger brother were small kids then. My parents were working and from 4pm to 6pm, We used to be all alone in our house. That was a much dreaded time interval of our entire childhood. We used to triple lock from inside and play with each other. We never used to open the door to strangers.

One day, the door bell rang and my brother rushed to the door to open it. As soon as the door opened, a hairy hand darted in, demanding money in a rough voice. I rushed and slammed the door on the hairy hand. I could see 4 sari clad ladies with coarse manly features, paan stained teeth clapping their hands in unison and gyrating to the dhol beats. The eunuch gang had struck our abode. They would not budge till money was offered to them. Every clap fastened our heartbeats. We just held each other and shivered till they left. Those days, security was lax. A solitary watchman who would doze off in the afternoons was our sole unreliable protector.

A few years later, I was travelling with my mom to a place in an auto. As soon as I got down, A hairy hand gripped my arm and started asking for money. "Ae, Chiknya! Ek rupiya de naa" I was shocked and immediately jumped in fright. My mom shooed him/her away with a folding umbrella.

When I was in college, I was walking with my friend Rohit who had a cycle with him. A pair of eunuchs cropped up from no where and we just left the cycle and ran for our lives. Till date, I do not know the whereabouts about the cycle and never dared to ask my friend about the same.

Such unpleasant experiences with the third gender in my life made me highly prejudiced and biased towards them. I hated them for scaring me in my childhood. The mere sight of them would send me into a rage.

After starting my medical practice, I encountered a eunuch patient named Soumya. He was a 45 year old, born as a male trapped in a female's body. He had undergone voluntary castration at the tender age of 20 years. He had willingly become a eunuch. He was not a true natural one. He could sing and dance well hence was a much respected member in the eunuch community who lived in the decrepit chawls outside the town. They used to collect money from wedding parties and homes of auspicious events like child birth. I treated him like a normal patient, he paid my bill and got discharged thanking me profusely. His clout was tremendous and even brought me some patients from his ostracised community.

I treated all of them with compassion and kindness.

I wondered about my change in perception towards them. I hated them all these years and now was treating them with sympathy.

They were already suffering a lot in view of the prejudiced vision of the uptight society.

Jobs were out of question for them. Some had resorted to prostitution out of frustration and helplessness.

Perversions were and are rampantly prevalent in our society.

They were the butt of ridicule wherever they went.

They deserved compassion from fellow human beings, I realised that while treating them.

God had been unjust and unkind to them.

We need not be.