Giving third genders’ lives a glam makeover

Vadodara: It’s her daily morning routine — get up at dawn and get ready to visit residential colonies in Gotri with her group seeking alms — a ritual that Aradhyaa, a eunuch, has been doing for years now. But that’s about to change. Aradhyaa will soon see a new dawn in her life after she completes her beautician course and starts her own business. All that she now begs from life is to give her the strength to fulfil her dream.
Thanks to 30-year-old Dishit Rajput, a transgender, many more like Aradhyaa will soon see a sea change in their ‘socially excluded’ lives. Rajput’s mission is to take these eunuchs off the street and give them a chance to eke a decent living.
Rajput, who has done diploma in fine arts from Vidyanagar, told TOI, “Since childhood, I have seen eunuchs begging for alms to survive. With ‘them’ being ‘unacceptable’ in society, I wanted to usher in a change in societal perception by including eunuchs in mainstream society. And what can be a better way than to train them with skills that will help them earn self-respect and money too?” After pursuing a beauticians course about 19 years ago, Rajput today runs two salons – one in Wadi and the other in Waghodia — where he employees 45 women.
He has decided to enrol people from the third gender in beautician’s course, teaching them basic skills in facial, manicure, pedicure and applying mehendi — sans payment of any fees or other charges!
He will impart the training at his new parlour in Waghodia. “With some hard work and focus, they will soon pick up the skills and start their own business,” he said. He has already received inquiries from 25 transgenders and 10 have already begun their training in the course which has been kept completely professional, replete with identity cards and parlour rules.
An ebullient Aradhyaa exuded: “I am very excited to learn the new skills and to change my life forever. I am sure people will support me.”