India's eunuchs gather for their annual convention
Deshdeep Saxena in Raipur
There are few who would turn down an invitation to Amitabh Bachchan's
daughter's wedding. But this is precisely what eunuchs in Bombay did when the opportunity to attend the wedding of the decade presented itself.
"We had Munni's celebration at Raipur the same day," they say "That was more important."
The 'more important' occasion was the silver jubilee
celebration of Hajjii Munni Nayak, a cult figure revered by the
eunuch society. The 65-year-old doyen, holding the title nayak,
is their national leader.
Naturally then, the occasion merited a gathering of eunuchs from
all over India. They came in all shapes and sizes, names and styles -- and in their middle sat
Munni, plump with arrogance and opulence.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vrahannala Sammelan, which began on February 25 and
carried on for ten days, started with a procession
and a Ganga jal puja. There were other ceremonies and a whole
bunch of secret rituals as well.
The local people, however, regarded the proceedings as
some sort of joke. In fact, the eunuchs were very disappointed
by the reaction in Raipur. They had invited some of the influential
people in the city to participate in the function. "Hamme koi
mard nahin mila (We couldn't find a single man)," says Munni
ruefully. This, despite the fact that eunuchs are considered auspicious,
especially in Raipur, where many touch their feet and seek blessings.
Eventually, one man did turn up at the celebrations -- the local member of Parliament Tarun
Chatterjee. "Raipur mein bas ek hi mard hai,
(There is only one man in Raipur)," Munni comments.
As they have no opportunity to celebrate such
traditional social events as the birth of a child or a wedding,
eunuchs have had to invent a few ceremonies of their own: bahubanana
(to make someone a daughter-in-law), for instance, or beti-banana
(to adopt a daughter). These occasions, celebrated on the same
scale as marriages, serves for forming
new relationships. The hijras shower the other side with expensive gifts. Colour televisions,
VCRs, washing machines, refrigerators and electrical
gadgets all form part of the cache. Not to mention the mandatory gold
and silver jewellery.
Munni's silver jubilee celebrations provided an ideal opportunity
to look for betis and bahus. The Kapur contingent -- one of the
most affluent in the community -- came in a Maruti van and a mini truck
loaded with dowry items. They made an eunuch from Rajnandgaon
their sister. The entire community turned out resplendent in gold and silk
dancing to the beat of the dholak and taali (drums and clapping
of hands) on the occasion. Rumour has it that Rs 300,000 in cold cash,
50 tolas of gold and some electronic appliances were shelled out as dowry.
The eunuchs live a life of mystery and enigma. And that is
the way they like to keep it. No one from the outside world is
allowed to peep in -- perhaps because the stares are full of scorn
and ridicule, instead of sympathy and understanding.
Most eunuchs, though not really difficult, look at the outside world through suspicious eyes. After the
cold reception they got in Raipur, this increased even further. Also, there were
all that gold, silver, cash and other valuables at the celebrations which
made them feel extremely vulnerable. And hostile.
However, once the suspicion vanished, they became communicative and eager to make impressions. For instance, the Bombay contingent
presented Kanchan maa (mother) , who they claim is all of 137 years old, with great pride. "When Mahatma
Gandhi was in jail, many times have I gone inside clad in a burqa to take him rotis,
Kanchan says. The diet might have been okay for Gandhi,
but as far as personal preferences go, Kanchan eats only bananas
and yoghurt.
The Vrahannala ended on March 7. But there were no rituals for
marking it, whatsoever. "We never observe any sad ceremonies,''
says Munni.
Good philosophy, that: why cloud happy occasions, especially when such moments
are so rare in the life of an eunuch?
Kind courtesy: Sunday magazine
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