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Akkai Padmashali's story is that of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Find out how a sex worker fought the odds and became a human rights activist!
Akkai Padmashali’s story is that of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Find out how a sex worker fought the odds and became a human rights activist!
Deep down, Jagdish always knew he was a woman, but he wondered when that woman was going to come out in the open.
Born as Jagdish in a typical middle class background, a struggle for his gender identity and social acceptance led him into sex work. Today, she – a male to female transgender – calls herself Akkai Padmashali and is a human rights activist.
In this video Akkai recounts her struggles with gender identity, her sex work in Bangalore’s Cubbon Park and that she always knew deep down she was a woman. “I used to play with girls a lot. One day my father brought me home and poured hot water on my legs. He said that if I didn’t act as per society’s norms, this was my punishment,” recalls Akkai while in conversation on Chai with Lakshmi.
In this video we hear the life story of a woman, who was been constantly pressurised into living a socially acceptable life. We learn of the difficulties she has faced at home, at work, in the sex trade and how she now fights for other transgenders who face the same.
Watch this amazing video here:
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Why do parents avoid explaining the physical part of relationships to their children? The mindset is-'they will learn on their own like I learnt.'
Marriage. A word with conflicting sentiments. Love, exhilaration, fear, and adjustments were all deep sentiments that tingled in the pit of my stomach from time to time. However, I believe that the final decision must be taken solely by the two persons after the completion of courtship period (or whatever you call it).
My cousin got married in this lockdown. She was not very excited about the shrinking guest list. Though she was ecstatic she had me. More than the sisterhood bonding, we apportion a cognation of mentor-student. Moreover, I feel so protective towards her as she is introvert, shy, and timid. All I endeavoured and wanted her was her voice and a stand for herself.
It was her mehndi the day I reached. She rushed to hug me with those moist eyes. Fighting back my tears and holding her in my arms, my mind toggled between past and present. “I am so happy you made it di,” she said. It was the moment of mixed feelings, a reminder of the time when I was naïve to the change marriage brought into my life. I inhaled my lungs full of air in disbelief that the baby girl is getting married in two days. She blushed as others giggled and teased her asking her about the guy.
From the time one dancer went public about Pt Birju Maharaj through a series of stories on Instagram, the classic cycle of victim blaming started asserting itself- deny, disbelieve, discredit, disgrace.
Trigger warning: This has sexual abuse, victim blaming, and gaslighting, and may be triggering to survivors.
In light of the recent allegations of sexual misconduct by the legendary kathak maestro Pt. Birju Maharaj, a number of people are asking “why now?” Why is the person choosing to make the allegations public after his death when he is no longer around to defend himself? What is to be gained by sullying his reputation when he is no longer in the world? If these allegations were true, why didn’t we hear of it before?
Here are some of the best LGBTQIA+ posts that have been published on Women's Web in the past 10 years. #ADecadeOfWomensWeb #PrideMonth
Here are some of the best LGBTQIA+ posts that have been published on Women’s Web in the past 10 years. #ADecadeOfWomensWeb #PrideMonth
It’s Pride Month, and it is but fitting that we begin the showcasing of the best posts in various categories as part of our 10 year anniversary celebrations, #ADecadeOfWomensWeb, with those that speak of LGBTQIA+ lives, experiences, and issues.
As I’ve said a lot of times, the way to support women is through a sisterhood that hears them, and amplify their voices. Nowhere is this more true than in the case of the LGBTQIA+ community, where people are often deemed invisible, and even actively persecuted.
Shanthi, a transgender rights activist reminds us that transgendered people do not need our pity - only our recognition that they deserve the same opportunities as everybody else.
Shanthi, a transgender rights activist reminds us that transgendered people do not need our pity – only our recognition that they deserve the same opportunities as everybody else.
Every time I come across a transgendered person’s story, I am struck by the incredible hardships they face in life. Though a member of society like any other, they are meted out harsh, differential treatment.
When we talk to change-makers within the trans community, every one of them reveal how difficult the journey has been for them. Being born in a way that is different from what is seen as ‘normal’ is not something that you take up as a choice. It is their reality and they too want to live freely, work, earn and succeed, like any other citizen of this country.