R. Varsha is overjoyed to be able to resume studying after a gap of four years. The 27-year-old, hailing from Viralimalai village near Viralur in Pudukottai district, is the first transgender student to be admitted to the Madurai Kamaraj University.
A dedicated dancer, Ms. Varsha will begin her postgraduate course in folklore studies this academic year.
“I have no formal training in dance. I began experimenting with karagattam by watching a variety of shows on TV,” she says.
“I would try choreographing my own steps and used to watch all the live shows in my village,” she adds.
“I began giving stage performances when I was in Class VII, and came to the realisation that I truly felt liberated when I danced,” she recalls.
Ms. Varsha came to the realisation that she was a transgender when she was in Class VI, and slowly began coming out to her family. Despite being confident about herself and receiving extensive support from her mother Chitra and brother Durairaj, Ms. Varsha says she was constantly taunted by her classmates while pursuing an undergraduate degree in Business Administration at the National College in Tiruchi.
Ragged in college
“As there was extensive ragging, I would constantly cry and skip college,” she says. Despite these obstacles, Ms. Varsha focused on improving her dance skills and fulfilling her dream of becoming a teacher and a performer.
After a gap of four years, Ms. Varsha, guided by members of the transgender community in Pudukottai, applied to MKU and secured a seat.
T. Dharmaraj, professor and head, Department of Folklore and Cultural Studies, says that despite applicants having the option to tick the ‘Third gender’ category in MKU’s application forms, no one has applied till date. “Varsha is the first to have taken this step. We hope this improves diversity in the university and more people are encouraged to join higher education courses,” he says.
MKU Vice-Chancellor M. Krishnan says he has provided a 50% fee waiver to the student to support her education. “She has a lot of knowledge about Tamil dance forms. Ms. Varsha has also been designated with the task of giving a performance when the college reopens. We are looking to accommodate more such talent in our college,” he says.
Ms. Varsha says more universities should encourage students like her to take up education and be accommodative of their needs. “We are also human. We have talent, love and affection. Support us so that we can grow and show what we are capable of,” she adds.