New Delhi: Over the past few days, Ekta Maheshwari, Deepika, Heer and Ladoo have been receiving congratulatory calls from friends after being invited as special guests to represent the transgender community at the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi.
Associated with the Garima Grih shelter home in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, the four will travel to the national capital on January 24. They are among 10,000 special invitees from across the country who will be honoured for their contributions to nation-building.
The invitees include transgender persons and individuals rehabilitated from begging under the PM SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme, winners of the World Para Athletics Championships, farmers practising natural farming, and others from diverse walks of life.
Officials said that Uttar Pradesh will be represented by four transgender persons and four individuals who have successfully given up begging and started earning a livelihood, highlighting stories of social inclusion and change.
District Magistrate Deepak Meena confirmed that four residents of the Garima Grih shelter home in Gorakhpur have been selected as special invitees.
Ekta (39), one of the invitees, is the director of the shelter home, which is funded by the union government. According to the National Portal for Transgender Persons, Garima Grih aims to provide shelter to destitute and abandoned transgender persons along with basic amenities such as food, medical care and recreational facilities. In addition, the shelter supports capacity-building initiatives and skill development to help residents lead independent lives.
Recalling the selection process, Ekta said that about a month ago, the organisation received an email from the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment seeking nominations of transgender persons from Garima Grih.
“After we sent the nominations, police verification was carried out by the Home Ministry. The final selection of the four of us was made thereafter,” Ekta said, adding that the confirmation was communicated by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Ekta said she left her hometown of Lakhimpur Kheri in her early 20s to pursue studies and training in photography, severing ties with her family. In 2011, she founded the Ekta Sewa Sansthan with the aim of giving transgender persons an identity based on their individual abilities and talents.
Heer (20), a make-up artist, said she is saving money to pursue her “dream career” in law and hopes to one day represent the transgender community in the judiciary. She is also actively involved in conducting awareness and counselling programmes for transgender persons.
Ekta said Ladoo works with the Kalyan Sathi initiative under the Social Welfare Department, helping implement welfare schemes, while Deepika (32), from Deoria, works as a make-up artist in Noida.
Despite their achievements, all four share a common regret — none of their family members has accepted them. “We all wish someone from our family had called and said, ‘We are proud of you,’” Ekta said.
“I left my family in Kushinagar two years ago. In villages, the situation for transgender persons is often worse than it is for women,” Heer (20) said. “Families feel ashamed to accept us, so I left. I want to make something of myself and become an example for society.”
Ekta added, “Acceptance has grown in cities, but in villages like ours, the image of a transgender person is often limited to ‘those who clap loudly at traffic signals or stand at red-light areas.’” After years of struggle within her family, society, and even her own community, she said, there is finally a ray of recognition and hope now.
