Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 19:
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 19: Meghna Kinner is a transgender(TG). She completed her MBA from Sambalpur University through distance education and did her graduation from Biju Pattnaik College, Bhubaneswar. In the year 2013 she enrolled with the Utkal University to do post graduation in Political Science. She however, did quit midway. While doing her graduation she had to adopt a male name, Bishnu Charan Sahoo. She later changed to her present name. “Most of the transgender have been forced to identify themselves either as male or female. Soon it’s going to be one year after we were recognised as belonging to the third gender by the Supreme Court; but the truth is nothing has been done so far,” Meghna says. She dropped out of her MA course for personal reasons, but says she is ready to take readmission if the university authorities officially accept her third gender identity.
Incidentally, only in the voter and aadhar cards, TG option has been included, but in other official documents there is no third gender option available.
In a landmark decision in April 2014 the Supreme Court had said that the transgender persons would be given admission in educational institutions and also employment as candidates who belong to the third gender.
It is going to be one year now and so far nothing has been done to implement the order of the Supreme Court in any government or private institutions. The transgender people are yet to get recognition of their rightful status. Neither the educational institutions nor the employers have included TG as a gender category in their admission/ application forms.
Recently the University Grants Commission has asked all the universities to take necessary steps to ensure that the transgender among the students do not feel out of place on campuses. A letter has been sent to all the VCs, asking them to ensure that rights of the transgender students are upheld alongside their mainstream peers within the university.
Talking to Orissa Post, Prof Asoka Kumar Das, vice chancellor Utkal University, said, “I have received a letter from the UGC and I have forwarded it to the internal cell so that it can take the necessary steps. Regarding the inclusion of TG as a gender category in the admission forms … our admission will start from June and we will sort it out by that time”. However the VC was not ready to go into further discussion on the issue.
It would be worthwhile to mention that July last year, the UGC had notified that the transgender were eligible for all scholarship schemes and fellowship programmes in higher educational institutions.However, it is not just the educational institutions where the transgender are finding it difficult to get their gender status upheld; in the professional field too they are, at times, getting discriminated against.
“After completing my MBA I started working as a territorial manager in a reputed diagnostic company, but because of my appearance I was forced to leave the office. I am educated but I can’t get a proper job. If there are no jobs for us then what options are left other than begging in trains, dancing or working as a sex worker,” laments Meghna.
Another transgender, Julie Kinner, who has also done MBA through distance education, and has completed her graduation from PN College Khurda in 2006 share the same view. “I have tried a lot to get a proper job but failed to do so. I completed my studies under male identity,” says Julie.
Jyoti Kinner, whose earlier name was Ashish Kumar Sethi, is now perusing BTech from Arugal College, Jatni. She said, “I have done diploma in mechanical engineering. I want to get a government job and have applied for (studying) aeronautics. After we have been recognized as third gender by the SC, my family is supporting me a lot, financially, so that I may pursue my education”. Let us hope she gets a smooth sail and fulfils her ambition to become a government employee on the basis of her rightful gender status.
