Pune: Every morning, transwoman Kajal Sharma (51) would report for guard duty at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) headquarters. Tucked away in her bag would be an unusual item — school textbooks — which she would read during breaks. She navigated long shifts and sundry struggles, studying late into the night. Last month, Sharma scored 79.8% marks as a private candidate in the Class X results of the Maharashtra State Board.
A Journey of Resilience
For Sharma, born Dinesh Vishwakarma in a village in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, the success is precious. She ran away from home at the age of 14 to escape bullying and harassment. She knew she was different even as a child. “My classmates teased me. I began accepting my feminine side as I grew older and the harassment increased. Villagers called me names. When I confided in a teacher, I was scolded and told not to corrupt other children. My parents rejected my gender,” she said.
Sharma had had enough by the age of 14. “I ran away from home and landed in Delhi. I slept on roads and begged for over a month, before a group of transgender people saw me, heard my plight and took me in their group.” She survived the next three years like other members of the community — begging at traffic signals, dancing at weddings and celebrations and depending on tightly knit transgender communities for support and protection. This was before the Supreme Court recognised the third gender and jobs started to trickle in in the govt and private sector.
Struggles and Acceptance
A few of Sharma’s neighbours recognised her in Delhi and her family came to take her home. The condition being that she live like a man. “I tried, but it was too much. My family was still okay, but the villagers relentlessly taunted me. I was frustrated living a double life and left again. This time, I went to Mumbai. It was 1995-96 and I settled in with a transgender community,” she said in Hindi — with a mix of UP and Marathi accents. Sharma came to Pune in 2005-06.
Any thoughts of formal education or a stable job had disappeared by then. In 2023, however, everything changed when the PMC began to employ transgender women in security positions. “I jumped at the opportunity. Not just for the stable salary, but because the job would offer legitimacy and dignity. People regard you differently when you have a job and are in uniform,” Sharma said.
Education as Empowerment
Even Sharma’s way of viewing herself changed. “I saw educated people all around me, occupying high positions because of their education and I wanted to study too. I enrolled as a private student in Prathmesh High School, Pimpri.” However, she was unable to register as a third gender person since her school leaving certificate showed her gender as male. “A teacher from the school helped me get an affidavit from the court and in other matters too. The teachers also took my calls whenever I had doubts. I studied when I got time. Colleagues encouraged me. Supervisors gave me flexibility during the examination season.”
In May, when the results were declared, the former drop out, who used to beg for a living, had scored nearly 80%. She even made up with her parents whom she visits often now. “The world has changed and so have the villagers. Most accept my new identity. Having a proper job helps,” said Sharma, who aspires to do more.
Future Aspirations
“I will write the Class XII boards as a private student and also enroll in a computer course. My dream is to get a clerical job and sit inside an office,” said Sharma, who encourages women like her to study.
