Hijras have started surfacing in Bangalore city like never before. They have invaded certain city traffic light junctions. What they do is very simple. The come from vehicle to vehicle and harass commuters. They try to touch some people, pretend to bless some, they get aggressive sometimes, sometimes they plead. They have a singleton goal of extracting some money from you.
One find it utterly disgusting when they breach a person's basic rights when they start touching people. Some commuters get hassled, some scared, some simply angry.
Obviously one respects their person right to be what they want to be. It is a personal preference. But they have no business to start bothering public in this manner. They should enact a law to bring to book these Hijras if they are a menace in this fashion.
This burely is beggary in its most sophisticated form. Mumbai is well known for this problem along with many other cities. Growth brings the city best of talent and the imported "trouble" as well.
24 comments:
I do agree with you that Hijras-at-traffic junctions is a problem to be solved.
Lets now look at the problem itself.
Hijras come to the traffic signals to earn some money by beggig/pleading/blessing and sometimes threatening.
So the problem is that Hijras cannot earn money with any other means other than the one mentioned above.
The society has ostracised them and nobody cares for them. They do not get proper education because their classmates push them away. They do not get jobs because they cannot fill the sex column in the job application as it provides only two options (male and female) and the application tick one of them whereas these people have to tick both of them which results in the application getting rejected.
Have you ever found a hijra in a house working as a servent? Have you ever come across a hijra in an office? Have you ever come across a hijra in the govt/corporate sector?
Forget society even the parents who give births to Hijras abandon them as they cannot take care of the child and the in some cases if the parents are poor they are not given any options by the society/community around them to keep their hijra sons/daughters with them as they risk their entire family being thrown out.
Some of the rich rich parents do have an option of taking corrective measures like sex change/correction therapy but the poor do not even know about these things and even if they know they simple cannot afford it.
And the only option left for these hijras to to go to the streets as they are abandoned by the near and dear ones as well as the community/society around them.
Some communities try to do their bit by giving these hijras some money during social occasions like marriages or other functions and the hijras do their blessing act as a token of gratitude. But the minute the function/occassion comes to an end they find themselves at the street.
Do we ever wonder where these people stay? How do they make a living?
They have no social life other than being with other Hijras. So they usually group together and stay together taking turns to do the begging/pleading/blessing/threatening act to fill their stomachs while we simply curse them while when they come near us.
So who is the problem is it they or it is us?
Certainly this is a problem to be solved.
Pradeep, thanks for your comment.
I definitely there is a large social issue here. And society does not treat them inclusively.
I surely do not have any answers to the questions you raised about Hijra's livelihood and welfare.
However I still believe that they should not go as far as touching people with the intent of embarrassing people and coercing them to give money to spare the embarrassment. That to me ids a no no.
I would like to hear from other readers as well on what they think as possible ways of addressing some of these issues raised in your comment.
i do agree completely with arun.. no matter what their conditions are they have no right to harrass ppl or to touch them.. its very disgusting..and i even doubt that some of them are just pretending to be hijras for the sake of extracting money..
i hope the traffic police takes some measure against this.. but im sure they too are getting their share and hence are keeping quite..leaving the commuters the tolerate these ppl
I cannot sympathise with Hijras, especially as I have been harassed by one such specimen at the traffic signal near Forum, Bangalore. This individual sought to grab my breast as a part of his spiel, and got slapped in return (yes, I can, and do, defend myself when subjected to sexual or any other type harassment). The bit about hijras being a group who deserve sympathy because they are "rejected by normal society" is sheer nonsense. To gain respectability, all they have to do is to dress like the gender they most closely resemble, and above all, to behave with modesty and decorum in pulic spaces. My guess is that there are lot of transsexuals living in normal society, and having legal, respectable jobs. The ones who beg on streets are simply lazy people or conmen ("con-trannies" ?) who exploit the public with their outrageous behavior, and deserve only condemnation and contempt in return.
I don't agree with u mr. Arun. In signals I saw small children, aged persons,middle age men and women and hijras. These people are Indian reality, yes I do agree when they will come for begging public will think why these people are begging, what they are whether men or women etc., They are begging for their survive, if one day they are not going for begging who will give them food for that day, the answer is nil. Government is thinking begging should stop in India but what is the alternative did government is thinking about that. at least we need to think about this and try to help them out.
When we talk about hijras, we need to understand that Hijras have existed in our society for centuries.We need to understand who hijras are? every individual has the right to choose the way he/she wants to live their life. E.g. in marriage a person can choose either to have love marriage or arranged marriage. the choice is with that person. There is also a lot of support from others for the choice that the person has made. There are also many movies made glorifying love marriage. When it comes to choosing ones identity, there is a lot of opposition and there are no spaces created to express their feelings. Is this correct?
We are talking and voicing our views on the internet. Hijras have been part of the society for centuries.what has our government or what have we done to address the problems of hijras?
Also, when one talks about hijras causing troubling while begging , because of the actions of a few the entire community is criminalized and ostracized. Do we follow the same principle when a man or a woman commits an offence?
When society stigmatizes , discriminates and makes fun of hijras no one makes an issue out of it. people even go to the extent of ignoring whats happening even when they see such harassment. But when it comes to begging and the behaviour by hijras everyone seems to oppose it. We don't seem to think that sometimes it is a logical reaction to what they have been facing for centuries? how correct is this kind of double standard.
There are some hijras who harass people but for the act of a few the entire community should not be criminalized. At the same time in traffic signals there are also other people who harass hijras. why doesn't no one question that.
The appropriate ministries should consider employing hijras (involved in traffic signal begging, shop hopping etc..) in the defense services of the country.
Imagine these hijras, who are now so confidently and bravely patrolling the traffic signals(as shown in the photo above), patrolling the borders of the nation.
Man you should see the Nat Geo's India's Ladyboys, Its a eye opener, Their life is really miserable, Its a tough life to live without any identity. There has to be some help given by the society. I dont know what is the real help but this is definitly a matter of debate.
I completely agree with Pradeep as well!
The reason why they cannot study and work becauase of their IQ level.
Begging is ok but not forcing and pinching someones's thighs and all.
Recently, I was searching for the job and was walking along the path of Koramangala 8th Block to Ejipura and 3 Hijras (kojas) started asking for money..When I opened up 20 Rs they threatened me to give 100Rs. They started abusing me and I got enraged and told them I will not give even that. 2 Hijras came hitting me but I raised my voice and pushed their hands and came back.
If something happens to a Man then they will ignore it.
Yesterday one hijra pinched a lady's thighs coz she did not give the money to Hijra.
Do you think it is right?
I wished that lady should have belonged to some police/don's wife/sister/ or watever then the game would have begun!
As FKS said....centuries story...
The bottom line is ...beggin ok...we give money as much as possible from our own hands...but if they start to threaten then we will stop that.
If it goes beyond then I will kick them and tore them into pieces.
Because of three hijras I did not attend yesterdays interview...WTF?
I informed to the police and police did not do anything.
I do agree that the hijras at traffic junctions is a very big problem. If you look at BEL circle, ring road, there are at least 8 of them at each signal. When i am riding my bike to malleshwaram or any other place, i would do any thing to avoid stopping at the signal. It is so embarrassing and a nuisance when they start touching my hands as if i owe them money and they are demanding it. Why don't the Bangalore Traffic Police look with this problem. There should be some solution to this.
I did witness that again today....Hijras showing up their cloths off to a biker for not giving money..C'mon this city is going nastier...Where do we go and complain?
so...guys...wats d solution finall??
If the law is helpless. Take the law in your hands. None of these so called Hijras have rights to interfere in your personal boundaries. Today I broke one of these creatures head with my helmet when my patience was tested at Sony world signal
The HIJRA nuisance has become a MENACE now. I have written letters to all leading newspapers requesting some tangible action. n.
The HIJRAS / EUNUCH nuisance in Bangalore City - Especially Sony World junction at Koramangala has turned out to be a Menace now, threatening the common citizens.
Let me narrate a painful event witnessed by my wife - She saw a 2 wheeler driver being abused, hit and spat on the face for refusing to give the Hijras some money. No one went to his rescue apart from one Auto driver.
My wife as well was abused and an attempt made to scratch for not giving them money. In a seperate incident, several others were harassed similarly.
When will the civic authorities wake up and take this seriously before this turns more nasty. We can see them becoming more and more bold everyday with no one daring to question their methods.
Principally, they can be allowed to beg but resorting to force, abuse and physical assaults are really traumatic to 2 wheeler and Auto travellers specifically due to the vehicles being open and they're equally offensive to any gender and any age.
Anyone who goes to Sony World signal at Koramangala thru the day can witness this live.
TOTALLY AGREE WITH IT...I WAS RETURNING HOME TODAY IN AN AUTO AND AT THE SONY WORLD SIGNAL IN KORAMANGALA,A HIJRA CAME AND THREATENED ME TO GIVE HER 100 RS..I JUST HAD 50 RS WITH ME AT THAT TIME AND TOLD HER I DONT HAVE MONEY WITH ME..BY THEN ANOTHER ONE CAME N STARTED CURSING ME N BY THEN LUCKILY THE SIGNAL WAS ON I WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE FORM THEM..EVERYONE AROUND WERE JUST STARING AT ME INSTEAD OF REACTING...AND THAT IS THE MAIN REASON Y THESE HIJRAS CONTINUE TO TROUBLE THE COMMUTERS...INSTEAD OF JUST STARING AND SEEING HOW MUCH MONEY PEOPLE R GIVIN, THEY SHOULD REACT...SOME AWARENESS PROGRAMMES OR CAMPAIGNS SHOULD BE CONDUCTED AGAINST THIS SO THAT ATLEAST PEOPLE WILL COME TO KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM.THE SITUATION IS GETTIN WORSE DAY BY DAY AT THE SIGNAL NEAR OASIS MALL ie THE SONY WORLD JUNCTION KORAMANGALA...SO PEOPLE PLSSSSSS WHEN U SEE A PERSON GETTIN HARRASED BY THESE HIJRAS PLSSSSSS REACT
I faced same problem in BEL circle.
I would like to send e-mail to the police commissioner office on this, some one please help me with the e-mail id.
I travel from HSR layout to Bannerghatta Road. I pass by the St.Johns hospital road and the main signal (After St.johns hospital) is full of hijras. they are many in number. Today I was traveling by auto and when I refused to pay the money, I was beaten up. (Many of my friends also had similar experiences.) They are very rude and attack women who are traveling by auto or two wheeler.
Gosh! I so agree with the Hijra menace. Its become so scary. The BTM signal near Udupi garden is another common area. Each time I pass by near that by auto I pray to God the signal dosent turn red. If it does then these Hijras just come and harass u so much. They are so scary to look at which dosent make matters any better. I usually just turn the other way and ignore them but im so scared. Honestly something needs to be done about this. They dont have rights to harass the common man like this
So final conclusion is there no solution for this Hijra,,
India Jagoreee jagoreee
Last day a Hijra harassed me at BTM asking 100rs.... he/she even dared put her hand inside my pocket shirt's pocket! those Bastards
The real problem is that they are not doing it for themselves...there's a lobby behind it those who make money by keeping them in forefront...similar to forced begging..I saw a man discussing with a group of Hijras asking them to give the money and even counting the money(I was on the opp side of side road and quickly moved away witout them noticing me...
This should be reported somehow to the police... they cant turn a blind always.
After a lot of search on internet I could find this Blog which is addressing this Hijra Menace. Today at JP Nagar, My colleague and myself faced this harassment from one of them. We were standing in front of office gate waiting for a rickshaw this Hijra came suddenly so close to me trying to touch me & I almost had a heart attack. As a reflex action I ran inside my office, and my colleague couldn't.. the Hijra held one of her hands tightly and put her other hand on her head and started to push her down, lifted the dress and demanded for money . There were so many men/women who just stood watching this. What has really shaken me is the attitude of Hijras.... "I will do whatever I want to and no one can stop me". When we complained our office security team, we were told that there is no law which can act against them. Is this really true? Please share details of any Indian laws which can prevent Hijras from troubling/harassing/abusing common people.
Today I was walking down from forum mall towards star bazar. Agroup of hijras came from the opposite side and demanded money.
As usual I refused, but happened next shocked me .
One of them just pushed me down from the pavement.
Looks like our system will keep a blind eye on this issue till some major incident occurs.
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