Aashi was around eight years old when she first started to show the signs of being a transgender. She was her father's beloved son. She instead of playing outside with boys in the streets of Ichra, Lahore; used to play with her sisters and helped them broom the house and in kitchen.
Aashi's family was well off and were educated: her father was an inspector and her two elder brothers were lecturers. She was loved by her family, neighbours and friends. She would go to school with high hopes and aims. Her father was a very social person who was known by a lot of people, for him having a transgender in family was a shame: he would rather kill his son then to accept him as a transgender.
When she was twelve life took a turn: her father would beat her and force her to play outside with her brothers. Her brothers would not play with her because of the shame they felt in front of other boys. No one would sit with her in school and some teachers used to make her sit in the corner. All of this seclusion made an escape from her home imminent.
She started talking to transgenders who begged, they welcomed her very cordially. Soon the love and acceptance given to her, forced her to escape with another transgender to Karachi. She was free: she could wear makeup, dance, dress beautifully like a girl; everything felt enchanting, bright and beautiful. Soon this also came to an end. She was under the one of the heads of the transgender communities in Karachi who was known as Haji. Haji started taking her to feudal lords; where Aashi started to dance and fulfilling the perverted desires of the feudal lords. The world again became gloomy and dull for her; she never wanted to be a slave: who would work as a prostitute and give whatever she earned to Haji.
When she was twenty-two she broke the chains, attached to her by Haji who would threaten her that she will be killed by her if she escaped or didn't follow her commands. She escaped to Lahore and would dance in parties and beg: she might have fled from Haji but she still was miserable and vulnerable because she didn't have any other skill she could practice freely.
One day when she was dancing in a party she saw some familiar faces. Her father and two elder brothers came here in search for her. They have been combing transgender communities since she escaped from home, they found her and took her home not because they were ready to accept her but because her mother's mental condition was deteriorating due to the loss of her beloved child.
Aashi took the responsibility of tendering her mother, Aashi had learned to sew clothes on congenial basis and used to sew her clothes and had once opened a tailor shop but couldn't practice it for longer because people started throwing stones in her shop but this time she welcomed by Dr. Amjad Saqib, founder of Fountain House, to open a tailor shop within the premises of Fountain House.
Aashi was not only able to earn for her mother and for herself but was also able to pay Rs. 600,000 for the surgery of her brother.
Aashi's life is a lesson for the everyone, if Aashi was accepted by her parents by people she would never have been a prostitute or a beggar instead she could have completed her education and could've self-actualized at an early age. She is also an example for the transgender community that working hard enough and speaking for yourself will get them a respected place in the community.
Aashi wishes to have a respected place for transgender community if not in her life then, through her story as an example, in future. She also wants government to have a subject or topic about transgenders in school curriculum so that more awareness about transgenders and the problems they face could be raised.
("Spread the Word" and "Azaad Pakistan" organizations are raising fund's to train and empower many transgenders out there like Aashi. Your RS 1500 can empower a transgender to take charge of his/her life and earn bread. To support contact: 03216111557 --)
No comments:
Post a Comment