Transgender Bidhan doesn't deserve to die

Bidhan - a male to female transgender in Mumbai, has threatened to kill himself tonight. And I am writing this blog to say that Bidhan doesn't deserve to die.

So, why does Bidhan want to kill himself?
The reason is painfully simple: the society, including Bidhan's family isn't allowing Bidhan to live.

Bidhan who is 21 year old, wants to get a sex assignment surgery (SRS), but the law requires the consent of his family which they have refused to give. In fact, his parents  have reportedly threatened the doctors with dire consequences if they performed the surgery. As a result the surgery, scheduled for last 17th April in a Mumbai hospital, was cancelled.

Veerudada: The Transgender Leader

It takes a lot to be a good leader: courage, ability to earn trust, ability to lead from the front, to break an impasse, take a decision and seeing beyond the obvious.

But if you ask Veerudada, she will tell you that a leader has just one challenge: understanding the problem of the people he/she leads.

Veerudada should know. She has been doing it for years. In several states across India, the government has taken an urbanization drive, which is putting thousands of rickshaw drivers out of business.  Veerudada is fighting to see that each rickshaw driver is given his due compensation and a rehabilitation package – a promise that governments have made, but aren’t honoring.

If you visit Allahabad city in northern India, you can sometimes see a rally of rickshaw drivers which is led by a slogan shouting, fists-in–the air Veerudada.