Members of transgender community deliver 5,000 ration kits in 40 days in Kharar
Before the lockdown the residents of various villages in Kharar often saw them moving around seeking ‘badhai’ (donations); Jyoti Mahant, the head of a transgender
Before the lockdown the residents of various villages in Kharar often saw them moving around seeking ‘badhai’ (donations); Jyoti Mahant, the head of a transgender community here, is on the move again, but this time for distributing ration kits.
The curfew may have put a stop on the incomes of the third gender, but it has failed to deter Jyoti from reaching out to those in need. “We have always sought money on happy occasions like marriages, births from the village residents, so how could I have not come out to help the families in this hour of need,” said Jyoti.
Jyoti was found abandoned in Kalka some four decades back and was raised by the transgender person heading a gaddi there at the time. At the age of 13, Jyoti came to Kharar, and is now heading the gaddi here.
In the last 40 days, they have distributed around 5,000 rations kits containing rice, flour, oil, tea leaves, sugar, among other essential items. Each kit has a ration to last for about 15 days.
“People have my phone number and they call me seeking ration,” added Jyoti who has distributed 100 ration kits in Sialba Majri village and another 100 in Hoshiarpur village in Kharar. “Sometimes we get calls from outside the district, too,” they said.
After they get a call, Jyoti and his associates gets in touch with the panchayat of the village and prepares a list of people. Accordingly, purchases in bulk are made and then packing is done at Jyoti’s house. The store room is stacked and with the help of other transgenders persons of her gaddi, kits are prepared to be distributed.
“I want other members of our community to come out and help the society in this hour of need,” said Jyoti, who like other transgender persons, too, has faced a lot of stigma. They make it a point to inform the police station concerned wherever they go for distributing ration, said Jyoti
