Hijras Indians

Paper Summary:

This essay concerns an underground, invisible band of women called hijras. The writer explains that the hijras are found as a part of the Indian society. The writer then points out that they are invisible to society by virtue of the fact that they are either castrated males or they identify and dress as males. Further, the writer discusses in this article that they only have limited access to society because in India the law and traditional customs frown upon homosexuality. The writer then notes that the only place they are accepted wholly is as part of weddings.

From the Paper:

"In the patriarchal dominated Indian society, the Hijra women have existed for years living invisibly among the population. The Hijras are, for all intents and purposes, "a social sub-group of men that assume the lives of women, dress in feminine attire, and in a majority of cases, are emasculated". Probably the closest expression that could be made to describe these men in English is transsexual, without the operation. Not to digress, but the Hijras form specific functions in Indian society, as they are "ascribed with special spiritual powers derived from their identification with Hinduism's popular androgynous mythical figures including, Bahuchara Mata of Gujarat, Shiva united with his feminine aspect, etc...""

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