Marching beyond stereotypes

Prithika Yashni is the first transgender in India to become a sub-inspector of police and she feels that this could be the mark of a new beginning

Dressed in a simple purple cotton churidar, Prithika Yashni introduces herself and ushers us to her single room abode, which she shares with a roommate. Quickly hanging up on a phone call, she says, “It has been ringing continuously for three days now, which is quite strange for me. There was a time when my phone was silent for days.” There is a definite note of sarcasm in her tone, directed at society. “When you have power, only then do people value you. This is the sad reality of our kind,” she reflects.

Though the 25-year-old has overcome a zillion struggles and three long court cases to become the first transgender sub-inspector in India, she says the journey from here on is going to be even more challenging. “Acceptance has been the most important factor for our community. Access to education, job opportunities and even basic facilities have come only after relentless attempts,” she says and quickly adds, “It’s difficult to even get a decent place to stay.”

Born and brought up in Salem, Prithika was 14 when she observed changes in her body that she was very hesitant to even speak about. Though she had opened up to her close set of friends, at 20 she finally took the courage to tell her parents. “They did not even understand what I was explaining to them and instead, took me to josiyars (astrologers), psychiatrists and even to mental hospitals. I had to visit the doctor for the surgery and I couldn’t wait any longer. I ran away from home and came to Chennai. I met a few members of the transgender community here and finally found myself,” she recalls.

Always interested in current affairs and social management, Prithika had a dream of becoming a police officer. “With all the recent developments, that dream got lost somewhere. But when everything fell into place, I addressed it seriously and started preparing for it. That was my second longest battle,” she says.

In Chennai, she faced a lot of difficulty in getting a job. For eight months she worked as the warden of a women’s hostel, then with an NGO called Thozhi for spreading awareness about the transgender community and later also volunteered at several hospitals. “Many people still don’t know the difference between a transgender and a transexual,” she says.

She then applied to the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board. At first, she was rejected on the grounds of gender, as the exam did not have a specific category for transgender applicants. “That was my first court case. I filed a petition at the High Court and they gave a verdict in my favour. I was allowed to write the test, which consisted of a written exam, fitness and speaking skills,” she mentions. The Manidha Neeyam IAS Academy supported her as well.

She filed her second petition calling for lowering of the cut-off marks for the transgender community. “When every section has reservations, why not us?” she questions. After having accomplished that as well, she then missed the fitness round by just one second. After this came the final petition and she went on to achieve her dream. “This is a victory for my lawyers, who did not even charge me a penny for all this. My parents have finally started believing in me and now also meet me more often,” she says.

Prithika’s preparation for the test was a schedule she worked on by herself. “I started studying from the Internet and borrowed books from friends and libraries. I used to wake up at five in the morning and run for 40 minutes, then practise a sport or two and also do several endurance exercises. This has become a routine now,” she shares. “In one year, I will finally get my own uniform and that day will be the happiest day of my life.”

While she wants to address issues like women’s safety and female foeticide, she also aims at empowering the transgender community. “If there is one voice that has proved a point, then more will join in,” she says.