The politically correct term for the extremely derogatory word hijra is a eunuch. No one wants to be nudged, elbowed, cursed or flashed by them. As a matter of fact, most people have no notion of how eunuchs came to be. A eunuch is a castrated man placed in charge of a harem or employed as a chamberlain in a palace, or a man or boy deprived of the testes or external genitals. The common misconception is that all eunuchs were forced to castrate their genitals. In reality, they are a thriving community that has found a way of making a livelihood off of the hardship society has put them through. They are not the average beggars of the street – with their face caked with makeup and loud male voices shouting expletives one can find them terrorizing pedestrians for ten or hundred rupees. That’s not their only source of income, their blessing or curse is believed to be potent and their presence at the place of childbirth or marriage is common.

There are different ways in which one comes to identify as a eunuch. Some believe they are simply born that way – males without the male genitalia – while others will tell you that they are really men who were forcibly castrated in their youth. Both these beliefs hold true, though being born a eunuch is very rare. The “operation” that males go through is a celebrated occasion.

Then why is it that society looks down on them? What makes eunuchs opt for this life-altering decision? In a world that shuns homosexuality, the hijra community is an oasis. Often times referred to as the third gender, eunuchs almost always identify as women.

Living conditions for this community in Bangalore are pathetic. The laws related to transgenders are fascinating. The most prominent instrument used against the LGBTQ is section 377. After the British rule, this law was removed and then reinstated. The fact that it was given back gave the informal green light to renewed repression. And there may not be any other police in India more eager for a crackdown than Bangalore’s. They have a terrible record with transgender people; a history of harassing and jailing them, torturing them, evicting them from homes. And because a eunuch is an umbrella term for castrated men and men born without external genitals, the authorities grotesquely use the Prevention of Beggary Act to discriminate against them. They have already been shunned to the bottom of society’s belly. The consequence of the same is living in poverty. And after all of this, they are arrested for looking poor and sent to rehabilitation centres. In reality, these centres are closer to concentration camps than refuge. More people left in body bags and many are unaccounted for.

It is time that people do away with such misconceptions and accept them as members of the larger community. This will not only open up doors to better jobs for them but will also be a step towards making the society more progressive. And what makes it more necessary is the fact that in a city like Bangalore, which has grown to be a paradise for the rich and the tech-savvy, such prejudices hinders its development. The upliftment of the hijras from the beggarly conditions they presently live in to acceptable social standards is the need of the hour.