Licenses for eunuchs

[Guest guest]

Eunuchs may be licensed in Madhya Pradesh

Hindustan Times

Bhopal

Oct. 4, 2007

 

[Off-topic, but an interesting follow-up of

sorts to a previous post.]

 

Imposters are giving eunuchs a hard time. So much so that

some civic bodies in Madhya Pradesh are contemplating

issuing licences to the genuine ones to prevent the fakes

from decamping with alms. [....]

 

Many eunuchs in India earn their livelihood by dancing and

singing on occasions like marriages and births. They give

their blessings and are given alms in return.

 

But the lure of easy money has led to the presence of fake

eunuchs. Things have reached such a pass that eunuchs in

Indore have even set up a squad to check those who they

believe are fake.

 

" The Nandlalpura group of eunuchs in Indore has set up a

squad to cope with the menace of pseudo-eunuchs, who

allegedly make away with their share of alms. Last month,

the squad apprehended two youths while they were

collecting money from the Chandan Nagar area in Indore. "

 

" We received a tip-off that some people clad in saris and

salwar-suits were collecting money at the Chandan Nagar

area. Our team nabbed two of them, identified as Sunil and

Rajesh, of Jabalpur. On removing their make-up and

undressing them, it was clear that they were not eunuchs.

We handed them over to the police, " said Durga Guru, chief

of eunuchs in Nandlalpura.

 

" Because of these nakli hijras (fake eunuchs), our clients are

moving away from us. People who once used to welcome

our arrival after marriage or childbirth now look down upon

us due to the immoral activities of such elements. They

move around in the guise of eunuchs and harass people, "

Durga lamented.

 

The annoyed eunuchs have also printed visiting cards with a

line of caution against the imposters. Nakli hijron se

savdhan (beware of pseudo-eunuchs) reads a line on these

visiting cards that are being distributed among people.

 

" We have made several complaints to police against nakli

hijras, but so far no action has been taken. With no other

option, we have formed our own team that has been given

the task of nabbing the impostors, " said elderly eunuch

Rani.

 

With disputes between fake and real eunuchs increasingly

becoming a headache for the people and the police, the

Jabalpur district administration last month came up with the

idea of issuing them licences after a medical examination.

 

The eunuchs agreed. But police have run into practical

problems.

 

" We talked to the health department and constituted a team

of medical experts, including female doctors. But none of

the eunuchs turned up for the test, " said Jabalpur civil

surgeon Hitesh Agarwal.

 

Thus the problem of imposters continues. [....]

 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?

id=ec4d5591-86f1-4443-a6d0-

b7280562a7c2 & MatchID1=4577 & TeamID1=7 & TeamID2=

3 & MatchType1=1 & SeriesID1=1148 & PrimaryID=4577 & H

eadline=Eunuchs+may+be+licensed+in+MP

or

http://tinyurl.com/3cxnah

 

 

, Len Rosenberg

<kalipadma108 wrote:

>

> [....] I was of the opinion (was I misinformed?) that there is a

subculture in India of the Hejras -- a sect of " eunuchs " (some have

gone under the knife, some haven't). These trans-gender beings play

an important shamanic role in Indian society. They bless weddings

and births, taking away bad luck. [....]