Grant us re-birth as man or woman, eunuchs pray to Ganga

HARIDWAR - They haven’t come to pray for salvation. After the years of ignominy and ridicule they have suffered, these hijras (eunuchs) have come to pray to the holy Ganga river to end their lives and grant them an early re-birth - as a man or woman.

Singing paeans to the Ganga in their hoarse voices, dancing to the beats of drums and clapping loudly, the eunuchs prayed to the river on the occasion of Magh Purnima — full moon in the month of Margh, according to the Hindu calendar — at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela here Saturday to rid them of their “present form”.

“We have learnt that on Magh Purnima prayers hold special significance and they are answered by the almighty. While some of our colleagues have already offered prayers to get re-birth in the form of a girl or a boy, we have also come here for the same purpose,” Sonia, an eunuch in her mid 30s, told IANS.

“We prayed to the almighty to bless us so that we die in peace soon so that we can take re-birth in a form that is accepted by society,” added Sonia, one of the members of a eunuch group that bathed near the Sarvanand Ghat.

Many in India and other south Asian countries consider eunuchs social outcasts.

“We are subjected to mockery, ridicule and derogatory remarks… We witness all this regularly… It pains a lot. Is it our fault that we were born as hijra? If he (god) is held responsible for every creation in the world, then we too are his creations,” said Hina, another member of the group.

“You might have always seen us dancing on happier occasions like marriages and birth ceremonies. By this, people tend to have a general perception that we always remain in an upbeat mood and never feel low. Believe me, every morning when we wake up, we literally curse ourselves for our present state of neither being a male or female,” added Hina.

After offering their prayers to the river, the eunuchs donated money, food and clothes to the poor.

“We always want to help the poor. Today we provided them money and food for our personal interests - to appease the almighty on this pious occasion - so that our worries come to an end and we soon get an opportunity for a re-birth in which we would be treated like humans,” said Sonia.

In many parts of south Asia, a child who begins to exhibit transgender traits is banished or sold to one group of eununchs or the other.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims have been bathing in the Ganga during the Maha Kumbh this year, in the belief that their sins will be washed away. The Maha Kumbh comes once every 12 years. The religious gathering that began Jan 14 will end April 28.