Kinnar community of Karimganj District elated after getting an invitation from Administration and Election Commission

For a very long time, transgenders in India had to cast their vote as male or female, they didn’t have the right to the identity or gender of their choice. In the year 2014, the Appex Court of India has recognised the transgender as “third gender” in India. Rumika Chakraborty Kinnar has been voting as a female their whole life at the Badarpur Railway School. It was only in the year 2001 that Chakraborty added the “Kinnar” title to the name and under the NDA Government’s role in 2014, they could add “Kinnar” title to their Voter ID Card. After two years of wait, in the 2016 Assembly Elections the whole Kinnar Samaj of Assam along with Chakraborty could “ink their fingers” with the identity of their choice. “This was the happiest day of my life”, expressed Chakraborty.

On the occasion of 12th National Voters’ Day, the Karimganj Election Office and District Administration organised an event at the District Library Auditorium today in a very unique way. Members of the Karimganj Kinnar Samaj were invited performers of the event and Rukmika Chakraborty, who happens to be the “Guruma” of that Samaj was invited as the “Guest-Speaker”.

Speaking with Barak Bulletin’s correspondent, Chakraborty expressed, “It was such an honour for all of us. We seldom get treated in this manner. The DC Madam and all the guests were so kind to us and we all sang, danced and performed so happily on such a big stage. We were nervous at first to perform in front of such honourable personalities.”

On stage they acted highlighting their problems and having no proper or being recognised by people properly. They also showed, no matter what they live together and later danced to the popular song, “Tere Ghar Aaya Bal Gopal” from the movie Shabnam Mousi. Their stellar performance was highly appreciated by everyone with a huge round of applause. Later Rumika Chakraborty Kinnar addressed the audience and spoke on the subject of their equal voting rights given by the government in the year 2014. In her address she said, “I was born and brought up in Karimganj and I’m a citizen of India first. I’ve been voting in the Badarpur Railway School since 1979, first as a woman then as a Kinnar since 2014. In 2014, when the Modi government added this Gender of our choice system for Voter ID cards, we proudly went to the BLO and added Kinnar to our names in the card. Since then, we vote as our true identity.”

Thanking the Government’s decision, the Guruma said, “We are Kinnars, we belong to the third gender, but we are also from a mother’s womb. We don’t get any work to earn a living so we go door to door blessing newborns and people asking for money or whatever they give us. Some people behave rudely and misbehave with us. But aren’t we humans? The voting rights that we got, feels very special to us. That’s the only recognition we get.” They have also thanked the District Administration for inviting them to the Voters’ Day.

The Guruma expressed their sorrow and said, “The only sorrow we have is that we can’t marry someone, or have a partner. I can’t become a mother ever, but all the kids I see and bless are my children. We don’t want any special place but just equality. We vote with the hope that the government will treat us with equality and provide us with facilities to lead a good life. We also expect the cooperation of the general people. I bless them all.”

• We request our readers to treat everyone irrespective of their genders equally. The third-genders and non-binary are also a part of the society. This step of the Karimganj District Administration and Election Commission is really a commendable step.