It has been a life full of struggle with identity and acceptance for Solu, Madurai’s first transgender physiotherapist to be recruited by the School Education department. Ms. Solu takes a bus from Munichalai to Government High School in far away Chellampatti. Talking to Sanjana Ganesh, Ms Solu says she enjoys seeing special children grow and walk with proper treatment. She serves 64 students a week. Her journey has been anything but easy.
Battling torment from peers, dealing with her sex change and its implications on her education and family have taught her how to channelise humiliations into success. What she says with a hint of sorrow is that she hasn’t been to her home in 10 years.
“I left my house in Sattur to pursue my bachelors degree in physiotherapy at PSG College, Coimbatore, in 2008. The question of identity always existed and I dabbled with the idea of sex change right after school. As I entered my second year, I became clear that I wanted to undergo the procedure. In 2010, when I had completely undergone sex change, I went back to my college to pursue my degree. The principal asked me to never come back again,” she says.
After coaxing and pleading, Dr. Solu says that she was allowed to come to college as long as she continued to dress like a man.
The humiliation she faced during the years spurred her to do exceptionally in her class.
“Nobody would talk to me. I was ostracised. I decided that the best thing to do would be to surpass everyone in class. I worked hard and studied for long hours. I graduated as the Best Outgoing Student and received many awards for my academic achievement. The Principal himself came and congratulated me. It felt like a victory,” she says.
However, in 2013, when Ms. Solu’s parents began hearing about their son’s transformation into a woman, they could not deal with the gravity of change. Ms. Solu’s mother, who was once a strong pillar of support, committed suicide upon hearing the news. “I was and still feel like I am the reason for her death. It took me a long time to deal with it and many months of working to distract myself,” she says.
Ms. Solu took up a number of jobs, including working at private hospitals and even at banks. However, doctors and bankers themselves harassed her with lewd comments and remarks.
“I quit my job and decided to come back for a year. That was when I heard about the vacancy in Madurai’s schools. I knew I would enjoy working with children, with a secure government job,” she says.
Though Ms. Solu was qualified for the job, she was not assigned any position. Transgender activist Priya Babu helped her by approaching the then Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao and members of the School Education department to seek a role.
“Everything worked out and I was asked to take care of Chellampatti block. I usually visit about 200 villages in a year and try to bring more special children to attend sessions at Government School. If the child is unable to walk, I also provide home-based treatment,” she says.
Impressed with her performance, members from J.K. Fenner India provided furniture, fans and water coolers, costing ₹1.5 lakh, to the centre. They also painted the school.
Ms. Solu pursues masters in Hospital Management through distance education at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University.
She also plans to do doctorate in paediatrics with focus on special children.
“I hope that more transgenders are encouraged to take up education. The stereotypes and easy living will go away only if people like we take steps to break the norm and pave the path for others,” she said.