The time machine of our society's cultural, social, economical & physiological development has no doubt seen a galloping progress however the humanitarian attitude seems to be going backward.One such example I can think of is the journey of being born as a 'KINNAR' to being born as a 'HIJRA'. Most of us will say the words mean the same, third sex, eunuchs,transgenders etc without realising the hidden difference in the meaning of these two words. The same Kinnars who were welcomed with all respect by our fore fathers for various special function coz of their auspicious or demi god status, are now simply looked upon by majority with disgust & hatred.
However, as many of us live our lives wearing a facade of "Miss/Mr. Goody Two Shoes", we consider the presence of this third gender as pious. It is here for some moments of selfishness we give them the respect of being a Kinnar. Irony at its best, those who are considered at one moment as pious & auspicious,a demi-godly form of Shiva,Bahuchatra Mata, Krishna-Aravan, our looked upon with disgust & anger. Probably we would consider watching a pile of filth in front of our house rather than watching a Hijra.
Kinnars & their Demi-God status
** The Hijras and Lord Shiva
Sounds pretty much contradictory, one are people who fluctuate between being a demi-god & devilish status and the other is A GOD himself. Well 'Kinnar' would have been more suitable here.
One of the forms of Lord Shiva is merging with Parvati, better known as 'Aradhnareshwar or Aradhnari', half Shiva & half Parvati, worshipped especially for bringing prosperity & love in a husband-wife relationship.Even now in many parts of India, especially North India, Aradhnari is worshipped during various occassions like marriage,child-birth, new property etc where these ' Hijra' are called upon to give their blessings & offered
a lucrative fees for their presence, considered benign at that moment.
Well as double faced as we are, on encountering the same transgender species in public transports or simply at a place,we try all attempts to avoid them due to a fear that is simply nonsensicle.
**Origin of Badhai - we have all grown watching & listening to the great epic Ramayana & one can distinctively remember the 14-year exile period Lord Rama had to go through along with Mata Sita & brother Laxman. On his return to Ayodhya after the adventurous 14 years Lord Rama finds Hijras,neither men nor women, are still seating at the place where he gave his speech. Impressed with their devotion, he grants a boon to 'Kinnars' to confer blessings on people during auspicious inaugural occasions like childbirth and weddings. This boon is the origin of badhai in which hijras sing, dance, and give blessings.
**Aravan & Mohini
Nobody can forget the epic battle held at Kurukshetra in Mahabharatha. Just before the battle Aravan starts worshipping Goddess Kali by offering his lifeblood to ensure victory of Pandavas and the goddess agrees to grant him power.Aravan expressed a desire to marry on the night prior to the battle however no woman was willing to marry a man on whose head the sword of death was hanging, about to strike in few hours.
On seeing this Lord Krishna decides to fulfill his desire & assumes the form of a beautiful woman.
This woman was called 'Mohini' who marries 'Aravan.'
There are more forms for which the 'Kinnars' had acquired the demi-god status however now demi(half man half woman) has seperated from GOD.The cherry on the cake for this post modernism yet orthodox attitude is the reaction of people when encountered by this third sex. People have come to believe that a 'Hijra' has the power to give a blessing as well as a curse, that comes true. Obviously majority of us would want blessings, so we give them cash or kind. When we say 'God is One', then how do we assume that a particular species can be held reponsible for good or bad omen or may be we just want to assume- ass+u+me.
