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She was never wanted in the society, her parents sent her away. She willed and finally got what she longed for - respect. That's Aizya Naaz Joshi, India's first transgender cover girl.
She was never wanted in the society, her parents sent her away. She willed and finally got what she longed for – respect. That’s Aizya Naaz Joshi, India’s first transgender cover girl.
“To live with all the abilities in life is not a big deal, but having disabilities in life and then living your life perfectly is the biggest achievement in life and the people who have this spirit are the born survivors.”
This line I wrote suits very well all those people who have proved that it’s not the physical capabilities or the appearance that make you achieve something in life. Rather, it’s your spirit and attitude that encourages you to achieve something in life. It makes you stand somewhere in society.
Aizya Naaz Joshi, being a transgendered woman made her own way, faced all the difficulties but didn’t gave up. She preceded 22 Female contestants and became the First Transsexual Miss World Diversity 2018. Today the whole world says to her, “We are proud of you”.
When she was young, Aizya used to live in Delhi. She believed herself to be a girl and never thought that she was a boy. All here activities were similar to that of what a girl’s would usually be. Her parents sent her to Mumbai, so that people wouldn’t come to know that she is a transsexual. Since childhood her life has been full of struggles.
Hailing from a multicultural background, Aizya’s upbringing took place with her maternal uncle’s family. She worked in restaurants and went through many unfortunate happening, but that didn’t diverted her from her goals. She wanted to do something that should that would earn her respect in the society. Education mattered to her a lot, and she managed to gain admission in National Institute Of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and scored a top rank there. After that she pursued MBA in Marketing from IMT through correspondence as she was not given a regular admission.
She is among the first transsexual women in India who have been portrayed on the cover page of a reputed magazine like Tehelka. Yet, although she has put in a lot of efforts, she feels that she never got the due respect that ‘normal’ people usually get. When she entered modeling, she met Rishi Taneja, a well known photographer and he made a biopic on her. After seeing that film, some media houses gave her a big break and she made it to the cover page. She was not accepted at first, but she didn’t give up thinking of ways to make her life better.
During her photo shoot for the cover page of a magazine, she felt she was just dreaming. But then her parents called her up and said, “We are proud of You”. That was the happiest moment for her. They called her up in Mumbai and now she lives with them.
Aizya believes humanity to be her religion. She thinks of the love and respect that she didn’t get, and hopes that she would be able to give it to those people who need them. In her words, “It’s nothing like if society has not accepted me then I should do the same.”
She has been part of many fashion shows and later she participated in many beauty pageants. She also organizes the Mrs. Homemaker competition, and under this banner she has organized six beauty pageants till now. She has been a show’s stopper too in the Rajasthan Designer Festival 2014.
If there is a ‘will’ then there is always a ‘way.’ With all her hard work, determination, success and achievements, Aizya Naaz Joshi is the living example of this.
Published earlier here
Image source tennews
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Rajshri Deshpande, who played the fiery protagonist in Trial by Fire along with Abhay Deol speaks of her journey and her social work.
Rajshri Deshpande as the protagonist in ‘Trial by Fire’, the recent Netflix show has received raving reviews along with the show itself for its sensitive portrayal of the Uphaar Cinema Hall fire tragedy, 1997 and its aftermath.
The limited series is based on the book by the same name written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost both their children in the tragedy. We got an opportunity to interview Rajshri Deshpande who played Neelam Krishnamoorthy, the woman who has been relentlessly crusading in the court for holding the owners responsible for the sheer negligence.
Rajshri Deshpande is more than an actor. She is also a social warrior, the rare celebrity from the film industry who has also gone back to her roots to give to poverty struck farming villages in her native Marathwada, with her NGO Nabhangan Foundation. Of course a chance to speak with her one on one was a must!
“What is a woman’s job, Ramesh? Taking care of parents-in-law, husband, children, home and things at work—all at the same time? She isn’t God or a superhuman."
The arrays of workstations were occupied by people peering into their computer screens. The clicks of keyboard keys were punctuated by the occasional footsteps moving around to brainstorm or collaborate with colleagues in their cubicles. Most employees went about their tasks without looking at the person seated on either side of their workstation. Meenakshi was one of them.
The thirty-one-year-old marketing manager in a leading eCommerce company in India sat straight in her seat, her eyes on the screen, her fingers punching furiously into the keys. She was in a flow and wanted to finish the report while the thoughts and words were coming effortlessly into her mind.
Natu-Natu. The mellifluous ringtone interrupted her thoughts. She frowned at her mobile phone with half a mind to keep it ringing until she noticed the caller’s name on the screen, making her pick up the phone immediately.
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