Sruthi Kc

 An untold story of “Unique Kajal” Hi, hello, namaskara, neevu kelisithirivathu radio sarang shubamangala karyakramadhalli naanu nimma preethiya RJ Kajal. This is how she starts her day, a transgender woman from Coastline Karnataka to become the first transgender RJ from Karnataka. Unlike everyone she too has a story to share about her journey from been a simple village boy to known RJ woman of the city. Surviving in a society where the transgender community are always discriminated and humiliated, it takes great pain for one to emerge successful and here we have Kajal who have crossed all the hurdles and societal beliefs in becoming what she wanted to become. Kajal is not just an inspiration for people like her but an inspiration for everyone. Going through many difficulties from been a transgender, living a life of a woman, the acceptance from the society was the biggest challenge she has to face. Now being the RJ of the city she feels the people’s attitude have changed. She had faced many difficulties once the society realized that, the girl is a transgender. She expresses her experience of how society looks upon them and many a time people carry a notion of a ‘transgender carrying a weird sexual organ in between their thighs’. This notion has led to them falling prey for sexual and physical abuses. The society believes that we are born mentally and physically abnormal and they gaze at us like an alien from another planet. She continues to express her feeling of disgust of how they are not accepted like any other human beings Kajal had realized the physical transformation when she was undergoing at the age of 14. Most of the times she was forced to wear pant and shirt. When she was in childhood she says, “I can still remember my childhood where my gender difference dominated me and banged into my mind. She says, I used to dress- up like a girl, when my brother is not at home. I used to apply dark red lipsticks, put big rounded bindi, and walk like a girl. Then, I came to know that, I am a girl, I should behave like a girl and I have to live like a girl. Therefore, I could never mingle among my same age boys, who would play cricket, football and wrestle. I would sit with girls, singing and dancing with my girl friends.” Kajal went to Mumbai frequently to get a comfort zone, and worked as a bar dancer to survive in the city. Around nine years ago, Kajal had visited to coastal Karnataka as a circus girl. She was so happy to live in Karnataka. She was mesmerized once she started her life here. She received love and respect from the people here and never had a second thought regarding continuing her life here. She now stays in Brahmavar, Udupi with her best friend Nagma. Kajal, is also famous for having tremendous acting skill, she has received many awards and became acquainted with the Radio Sarang team. She was later got the chance to work as a permanent RJ with Radio Sarang 107.8 FM based in Mangaluru. Kajal had hosted her first on air on November 21 for Shubamangala, which is aired every Tuesday. Multitalented Kajal also actively associated with various Television and theatre productions. Dr. Melvin Pinto, Director of Radio Sarang says, “We should provide opportunities to the transgender community. We should remove some sort of stigmas that the society has been carrying a long back. By accepting them, providing opportunities, they can exhibit their skills and bring them to the forefront. It will encourage them to lead a normal life like us.” Kajal recollects her first interaction with her own community when she was in her 7th grade and this she calls her biggest turning point in her life. She met Mahadevi, a senior transgender activist from Mandya. Kajal decided to share her feelings and thoughts with her and discussed with her the turmoil’s of her life. She was accepted and she decided to be with her own community. The acceptance of her as what she was the first ray of hope she received from the community and she says, she prefers the company of their own people than others in the society. Kajal expressed in excitement her first experience of her makeover of growing her hair up to shoulders, wearing her favorite bright red sari, piercing her ears and nose. “I felt so proud of myself when I became a woman,” she said in joy. I believed I could achieve everything I dream of but my concern is “my people”. Can they achieve their dream, will the society support and encourage them. Kajal believes that our constitution, which upholds human rights, and our nation, which believes in democracy, will one day will bring a change in their life and give them the basic need for survival. Kajal has a dream of becoming an IAS officer one day. She is trying hard to achieve that. Kajal’s life inspires several others like her who too have gone through the humiliation. She concludes, “If a person born as a transgender, it’s the duty of their family to accept them and embrace them first and as a transgender I will do my best to uplift them by reaching every single platform give them dignified life”.