At a time when the level of intolerance in the country is making us squirm in our seats, one student group in Delhi University is making news for the exact opposite. They decided to help out one of the most marginalised communities in India in getting them back on their feet and earning their own livelihoods and changing people’s perception of them.
The transgender community recently got recognised by the government as a legitimate third gender. Prior to that, their gender status meant they weren’t included in society, and in many cases, not even in schools. Jobs were practically impossible to come by, so they were forced to live on the fringes of the society, resorting to either begging, or eke out a living via prostitution or dance bars.
Today, even after recognition from the government, matters have only improved marginally for them. Sure there are some transgenders who have made the news for their achievements, and there are some celebrity transgenders too, but the majority still do not have access to regular employment or the skill sets to get these jobs.
This group of DU students is arranging professional training for over 20 transgender people to make them financially independent, reports the Hindustan Times. Not only that, they even organised a hugging event, in public, involving transgenders to help change people’s perception.
Students from Ramjas College have roped in experts to train members of the transgender community in jewellery making, under a project called ‘Transcreation’.
“We contacted some NGOs who work with the transgender community and started working with them. We want to empower the community and for that the first step is to make them financially independent,” said Rama Ravishankar, a student of Ramjas College who is working with the transgender community in an interview with HT.
The students, part of a non-profit organisation Enactus, have hired some designers from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and other fashion and jewellery designing institutes to train the transgenders. “There are selected catalogues from which they learn the design. We have managed to get funds from various organisations which help us in paying for the training and raw material required for Transcreation,” Ravishankar said.
Currently, 22 people from the transgender community are being trained under the project. The Ramjas team said that they have tied up with retailers to sell the jewellery.
“We have tied up with many stores which sell the jewellery made by transgenders. They are paid for every piece of jewellery that they make. Each transgender person earns around Rs 5,000 per month. This gives them the much needed financial independence,” they said.
The students also recently organised a campaign in which people were offered ‘Free Hugs’ by members of transgender community in Connaught Place. “People have misconceptions about the transgender community. We wanted to raise awareness about the community and make them feel welcome. We received a good response to our ‘Free Hugs’ event,” said one of the organisers.’
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