Nature's Choice

NATURE’S CHOICE​

Time and again the word ‘civilization’ raises doubts in our minds. What do we mean when we call ourselves civilized? We mean that we are more intelligent, more aware of things and wiser. But if one goes through the newspapers, we start wondering whether we are really civilized.

There has been a lot of study carried out about transgenders and it has been proved that this is a biological form of creation on which no man has any control. It is a pity that even the most educated people do not realize this and tend to look at this unfortunate section of the population as specimens. Whenever I see a person from this clan, I feel sorry and wonder what his story might be, because in most of the cases, once the parents come to know of the biological mishap of their child, they disown the child heartlessly and drive him/her away from home. Is it the fault of the child? How can even the most compassionate mothers do such a thing? Life is life, even if it is a single cell. There is so much debate about the ethical questions behind abortions. When we are so sensitive about the killing of a single cell, which cannot even be seen with a naked eye, how can we be so heartless to turn out our own offspring in full flesh and blood?

Whenever I see people ragging transgenders who go begging on the streets or in the train or bus, my blood boils! Able bodied human beings are driven to beg or steal to satiate their hunger, merely because nature has been heartless to them and created them differently. After all they are human beings and they too have to live their lives fully. They too will feel hungry and thirsty just as we do. When they are driven out of their cozy homes, not included in the mainstream and denied opportunities to earn their living, how should they live? Can we even imagine our son or daughter loitering on the street as a thief or prostitute or beggar, getting ragged by passersby and harassed by the lawmakers and police?

The recent incidents of police brutally assaulting and sexually harassing transgenders and activists peacefully fighting for their rights, are shameful. This is not the first time. Even movies have been using this section of the population as objects of fun and spinning comic scenes around them. There are very few movies which have sought to explore the tragic stories behind their lives.

How can we consider a society mature, when the people who are so-called protectors themselves indulge in such heartless brutality against a class of people who are deserted by the society for no fault of theirs? Stringent punishment should be meted out to the people behind this atrocity and the entire police force should be sensitized about the unfortunate victims of nature’s fallacy.

Let the men behind these incidents just ponder for a moment and understand the helplessness of the victims. Let them just give a thought to the fact that ‘life’ is common to all living beings and a very thin line segregates life as male and female. A very minor natural error meddles with this line. In all of us there are male and female aspects. We have only been a bit luckier in getting the line of difference pronounced. Let us thank nature for that and be fair to all living beings.

By sidelining the whole class of transgenders, the nation is losing an opportunity to utilize the skills, talents and strength of this class of people, who are otherwise as normal as we all are. What a waste!

Sudha Narasimhachar