March 23, 1998

Eunuch councillors fight mindsets to forge a new identity and gain social acceptance.

By Ramesh Vinayak

The jingle of ghunghroos rings a familiar arrival in Rajiv Nagar, a lower middle-class locality at Hissar in Haryana. Shobha, 30-something, slightly plump, sari-clad, stops at the home of a new-born baby. As two of her gaudily dressed companions dance to the tunes of raunchy songs, Shobha listens to the crowd that gathers to narrate their problems. While someone wants a water connection, another complains of insanitary living conditions. Back home, Shobha hangs up her ghunghroos and picks up the phone to take up the issues with civic officials.

Meet Shobha, the eunuch municipal councillor. Elected as a Congress candidate two years ago, Shobha is not the only representative of the community that is generally ostracised by society. There are half a dozen eunuch politicians in mofussil towns of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. They have a reputation for being efficient and hard-working. It's an identity earned through their no-nonsense approach. In Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, residents of Gandhi Nagar named the metalled approach road to their locality Nagina Marg after their eunuch councillor. "My gender is an asset," says 29-year-old Nagina with a grin. Says Sunita Goel, a Gandhi Nagar resident: "Nobody could dream of all these amenities two years ago, Our ward has seen more development as compared to the neighbouring ones."

It's the same story in Hissar. "My opponents said I would do nothing but clap at the municipality meetings," says Shobha. Instead, after becoming a councillor, she used her clout with politicians to get funds. "Shobhaji is assertive, not loud-mouthed," says Executive Officer R.K. Berwal of the Hissar Municipality. The locals are equally appreciative. "Behnji ne to kaya kalap kar dee hai (She has transformed the place),"says a schoolteacher.

With a new role has come a measure of respect and social acceptability. "Earlier, the people used to whistle at me, now they seek me out with their problems," says Basanti Sharma, 29, the only eunuch councillor at Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan. She might have forged a new social identity but has earned the wrath of her own people. "I am shunned by my own community which sees my election as an affront to our private world," she rues. Her guru has disowned her and as her professional work is restricted to just one ward, her income has dwindled.

Ironically, the absence of a family life is often regarded as a plus point. "When I have no family to look after, where is the question of my indulging in corruption?" asks Basanti. The belief that eunuchs are not susceptible to greed has increased their stock. As Harmohinder Kaur Nanda, chairman of Sri Ganganagar municipality, says, "The man on the street has faith in their integrity."

It's goodwill earned through bold actions. Recently, when Nagina received complaints about sub-standard work on drains, she forced the contractor to work on them again. When another offered Shobha a cut, she shouted: "Joote se pitoongi logon ke samne (I will publicly beat you with shoes)."

As far as goodwill goes, Santosh of Bhuchho Mandi, a town in Punjab's Bhatinda district, takes the cake. Elected for the first time in 1992, she was re-elected as an Akali Dal nominee from a seat reserved for women. Her opponents tried to get her nomination cancelled, alleging she was male, but Santosh furnished medical papers certifying that she was physically a female. Her popularity and her efficiency make her a perpetual winner. Her ward, previously synonymous with squalor, has in the past five years got sewers, water supply and paved streets.

Attracted by the increasing success of eunuch candidates, political parties are now wooing them. Many eunuchs have joined them. Says Nagina: "Without political affiliation, it's difficult to get the people's work done." For Nagina, as others of her kind, the journey from the fringes of society to the mainstream has been a rewarding one.

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