Being Kothi

Being Kothi

Raina and her friends are living in Kolkata (West Bengal, India) and they identify as Kothis. This story revolves around Raina, she had been a sex worker and she used to live in the Hijras community in Delhi. At the time when she lost her parents, she had been deciding to start a new life as a human rights activist. Rania often hosts friends at her house because in their own family’s homes they cannot dress up as women, wear makeup, be themselves. Most people in the Kothi community (a spectrum of feminine identified persons assigned male at birth, ranging from feminine males to transgender women) seek to live a life within Indian society, but for them it is hard to stay with their families and to find a job. Hijras may be classified as a branch of the Kothi family, differentiated by their kinship system, occupational practices and initiation rites. They live in separate communities with their own rituals and professions (like begging, dancing at weddings or blessing babies).  Some Hijra identify as Kothi as well, while not all Kothis identify as Hijra, and pursue a variety of professions although many are marginalized and lack occupational options besides sex work.

 

by contributor Alice Sassu

Raina and her friends are living in Kolkata (West Bengal, India) and they identify as Kothis. This story revolves around Raina, she had been a sex worker and she used to live in the Hijras community in Delhi. At the time when she lost her parents, she had been deciding to start a new life as a human rights activist. Rania often hosts friends at her house because in their own family’s homes they cannot dress up as women, wear makeup, be themselves. Most people in the Kothi community (a spectrum of feminine identified persons assigned male at birth, ranging from feminine males to transgender women) seek to live a life within Indian society, but for them it is hard to stay with their families and to find a job. Hijras may be classified as a branch of the Kothi family, differentiated by their kinship system, occupational practices and initiation rites. They live in separate communities with their own rituals and professions (like begging, dancing at weddings or blessing babies).  Some Hijra identify as Kothi as well, while not all Kothis identify as Hijra, and pursue a variety of professions although many are marginalized and lack occupational options besides sex work.

 

1.Raina was a sex worker and she used to live in the Hijra’s community in Delhi. When she lost her parents, she decided to start a new life as a human rights activist. 2.Interior of Raina's house. 3.Aparna is preparing for an event against Section 377. She is a Hijra activist, she has had a sex change operation and she is translesbian. 4.Suphee is working during the day in an NGO but with a low-salary, for this reason at night she worked as a sex worker until she found a boyfriend. 5.Manali with a boyfriend and some friends outside a club during New Year’s Eve. Manali is transsexual, she has had a sex change operation and she is a sex worker. 6.Dipmalya and Shuawhata have been a couple since 2007, but because their families did not accept their relationship, they often slept on the street. Now they are running a small fashion business. 7.Shuawhata at a protest against rape in India in Kolkata. 8.Suphee and Raina’s niece. Raina often hosts friends at her house because in their own family’s homes they cannot dress up as women, wear makeup, be themselves. 9.Dipmalya and Raina at Dipmalya’s house when her parents went out for some days. 10.Mona and some friends in front of the Park, which they use to meet. 11.Suphee at a Beauty Farm for the laser beard removal procedure. Suphee is working during the day in a NGO but with a low-salary, for this reason at night she worked as a sex worker until she found a boyfriend. 12.Kayashree is a sex worker. She has many physical problems after a sex change operation. Until now she cannot have sex and she lost her job. 13.Raina and her niece. When Raina lost her parents, she decided to start a new life as an activist and moreover to help her family, in particular, she takes care of her niece. 14.Suphee at a Park where most Kothis meet. Hijras and Kothis often use public spaces like parks and toilets to entertain sexual partners, lovers and even clients. 15.Hijras dancing in the street during an URUS ceremony of Baba Jalaluddin Sayeed. Hijras of the Indian Subcontinent have a deep and inner connection to Sufi Orders and Muslim saints 16.Hijras during a URUS ceremony of Baba Jalaluddin Sayeed. Hijras of the Indian Subcontinent have a deep and inner connection to Sufi Orders and Muslim saints. 17.Mona at Raina's house. She is living in a Hijra community in Delhi, but she wants to leave the community because she doesn’t accept the castration and initiation rites. 18.Dipmalya during an event against Section 377. She is Kothi and she started a small fashion business with her boyfriend. 19.Kothis during an event against Section 377. 20.Protest at Tollygunge Railway Station against homophobia. During this project, Raina and some friends were beaten, threatened and sexually harassed at Tollygunge railway station by some local boys. 21.Suphee and Rajani at Raina’s house. They are wearing the traditional Indian dress for girls (Sari). 22.Raina at a friend’s house. Sometimes she likes to dress like a man because she avoids trouble or harassment on the streets. 23.Raina, Amrita and Anura in a sweet moment. 24.Toilets in a Park close to Tollygunge Rail Station. Suphee and Rajani often use public spaces like parks and toilets to entertain sexual partners, lovers and even clients. 25.Raina with her niece, Saswata and Dipmalya, during the first birthday of Sophie's nephew. For this event Suphee and her friends were very nervous, Suphee in particular because she had to wear traditional man’s dress. 26. A district of Kolkata. 27.Hijras during a URUS ceremony of Baba Jalaluddin Sayeed. Hijras of the Indian Subcontinent have a deep and inner connection to Sufi Orders and Muslim saints. 28.Hijra in a Muslim tomb during a URUS ceremony of baba Jalaluddin Sayeed. The transgender community’s priority is to put Chader in a Muslim saint tomb. 29.Raina and friends during a traditional beard removal procedure 30.Rajani is a Launda dancer and she is a sex worker in Kolkata city. Launda dancers are a feature of traditional ceremonies in the feudal heartlands of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar, they dance at weddings and blessing babies (badhai). These young male performers, known as Launda dancers, are vulnerable to organized patterns of exploitation that include prostitution, violence, sexual assault and sexually transmitted infections. 31. Raina and friends in the Chai teashop, the only place, which they use to meet because they are accepted with kindness. 32.The friends Dipmalya and Raina at her house. Raina often hosts friends at her house because in their own family’s homes they cannot dress up as women, wear makeup, be themselves. 33. Rajani, Ashmita, Raina and Suphee having fun. 34. Suphe, Shuawata and Dypmalya with others on the street during New Year’s Eve. 35.Rajani at the Park, where she carries her activities as a sex worker. Rajani is also a Launda dancer in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar. These young male performers, known as Launda dancers, are vulnerable to organized patterns of exploitation that include prostitution, violence, sexual assault and sexually transmitted infections. 36. Tollygunge Railway Station. During this project, Raina and some friends were beaten, threatened and sexually harassed at Tollygunge Railway station by some local boys.