Kareena, Katrina, Priyanka and Lord Vishnu By Shridhar Sadasivan In English: Niruj Mohan -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It was the month of Purattasi1. On that beautiful morning, though the city was in its usual hurry, things were calm, pleasant and peaceful on the temple street. Since it was Brahmotsavam2, the temple was beautifully decorated and the crowd of devotees was larger than usual. The shops surrounding the temple were overflowing with people. Everyone, from school children to the elderly, people who arrived on foot to the ones who got out of cars, was chanting the mantra 'Namo Narayana' as they entered the temple. As is common Hindu practice, each of them touched the floor as they entered. Whether the devotees entered through the common entrance or through the special one, the deities of the temple, Perumal (Vishnu) and Thaayar (Lakshmi)3, seemed to bless them all with the same radiant smile. Inside the temple, the office was around the corner. Raghuram was inside with the ledger, diligently trying to balance the accounts. “Ugh, disgusting! I just can’t stand this anymore!” said Kesavan, as he stepped into the office. “What happened, Kesava?” Raghuram closed the ledger and looked at him. “What can I say Sir? Go out and see, you will know what I am talking about.” “Oh come on, just tell me what it is.” “It's these Aravaanis4. They are there at the temple entrance, begging yet again. They don’t let anyone get past in peace.” Raghuram sighed, “What can one say? It is atrocious.” “There is a gang sir, not just one. The way they look, the way they talk, and the way they walk, yuck! It makes me throw up!” said Kesavan, making a disgusted face. “Women and children who visit the temple are so scared of them. Don’t these Aravaanis realise that the temple is a sacred place and that they should not come and be a nuisance here?” “No, they don’t care. Balu shouted at them yesterday. They started arguing with him, they were asking him ‘there are lots of others begging at the temple entrance, why can’t we beg?’” “This is terrible! Who can have a rational conversation with them?” “Exactly, but they know we are afraid of them and they take advantage of it. They are now everywhere in the city sir, it’s getting beyond control!” “That‘s true. Yesterday, when I was coming to work, there were two of them at the traffic signal, clapping their hands5. I tried shooing them away and they started touching my hands and legs, begging for money! ” 1
Purattasi – a Tamil month equivalent to the period between mid-September and mid-October. Also known as Bhaadrapada, it is auspicious for Vaishnavites. Vaishnavites are Hindus that worship Lord Vishnu. 2 Brahmotsavam – ‘Brahma's festival’, major annual festival of Vishnu temples 3 Vishnu is the god that protects and Lakshmi his wife, is the goddess of wealth 4 Aravaani – Transgender in Tamil, corresponding Hindi term is Hijraa
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Kareena, Katrina, Priyanka and Lord Vishnu By Shridhar Sadasivan In English: Niruj Mohan -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“That’s why most people give them money… out of the fear,” said Kesavan irritably. “There are people coming today from the B.B.C. to film our temple and the holy festival. These Aravaanis will be the first ting they see as they enter the temple. How wonderful! I am sure it will give our temple a great reputation!” said Raghuram, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “We shouldn't let that happen, sir. We need do something about this,”. There was steely determination in Kesavan’s voice. But Raghuram was less sure. “What can we do, Kesava?” “Isn't the minister coming along with the B.B.C. crew today?” “Yes. So?” replied, Raghuram confused. “Well, the Minister's assistant – that guy, Kumaresan. Why don't you give him a call sir? May be he can help.” Kesavan’s eyes sparkled as he spoke. Kareena, Katrina and Priyanka were standing at the corner of the temple entrance. All three were almost six feet tall, with rough, masculine looks. They wore bright coloured sarees6, heavy makeup with large bindis7 and kanakaambaram8 flowers in their hair. “Akka9, nobody is giving us any money today,” Katrina said to Kareena. “That's right! Not a single person since morning.” “Hey look, there is a car coming. May be someone rich,” Priyanka alerted both of them. A Tata Sumo stopped at the entrance of the temple. A woman stepped out of the car, wearing a silk saree, heavy gold jewels and a cellphone in hand. With her protruding belly it was obvious she was pregnant. “Park the car and wait for me,” she said to the driver. The car moved away and the woman slowly started walking towards the temple. “Amma, Amma10 ” cried the three as they surrounded her. “Please give us some money, please spare some rupees for us beggars.” “Please give me five rupees to buy some food. May god bless you with a baby boy,” said Kareena, touching her cheek to ward to evil. “Please spare us some money, we are hungry,” begged Katrina. 5
Clapping hands - It is a common for Transgenders to clap their hands, as they beg in the streets of India. Saree – Traditional outfit for women in India 7 Bindi – Colour dots in the forehead used by Indian women 8 Kanakaambaram-Crossandra 9 Akka – Elder sister in Tamil 10 Amma – Respectful way to address women in Tamil. Similar to “Ma’am” in English. 6
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Kareena, Katrina, Priyanka and Lord Vishnu By Shridhar Sadasivan In English: Niruj Mohan -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The rich woman wasn’t expecting this at all and was totally taken aback. She became flustered and went pale with shock. “Go away,” she spat with disgust. “Oh come on Amma! You seem to be wealthy, you have a car, you are well dressed, and you can afford all these jewels. Can’t you spare us some money? Please show us some mercy. May god bless you with more and more,” Priyanka insisted. “Driver!” screamed the intimidated woman. Her body was shaking in fear. “Why are you shouting for the driver? You won’t lose anything by giving us five rupees.” “You will be blessed! You will give birth to a son. You will have a great life.” The woman was no longer listening to the three of them. Her face clearly expressed her disgust seeing those three Aravaanis so close. She was intimidated and felt helpless in fear. She dug into her handbag in a hurry, looking for her purse. The purse was nowhere to be found; she realised that she had left it in her car. That made her extremely nervous. “Oh no! Someone help me please,” she screamed. By then a crowd had gathered. “Hey! Let the poor lady go. Poor lady,” yelled a coconut-seller from nearby, coming to the rescue of the pregnant woman. “What did we do? We just asked for some money.” Kareena yelled back. “Bitch! Who do think you are? You have the guts to yell at me? I will cut off your tongue. Now you better move away from here,” he said, brandishing his axe.11 “Oh, no need to fight. We were just begging for alms. We’re sorry.” Katrina was scared at the display of axe and jumped in. “Don't, Akka. Let it go,” Priyanka also tried pacifying Kareena. “What is wrong in begging? That is our only way of life. No one gives us jobs. If we have to stop begging, what are we supposed to do? Will you give us jobs?” Kareena continued. “One more word and I will beat you up! Go away. Or else my axe will do the talking!” shouted the coconut-seller as he came towards her. “Just let it go, Akka!” Katrina said fearfully, as she dragged Kareena away. By then, the rich woman had managed to move away and reach the temple. She was still nervous and shaking. As tears brimmed in her eyes, she tried to call someone on her cellphone, but the line was busy. 11
Axe is used to cut fresh coconuts
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Kareena, Katrina, Priyanka and Lord Vishnu By Shridhar Sadasivan In English: Niruj Mohan -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“Always a busy signal when you need someone!”, she said with frustration. She dialed again and this time her husband Kumaresan, the minister's assistant, answered. “What happened? Why are you sounding so worried? Are you in labor?” he asked. The next one who appeared from of the Ocean of Milk12 was Dhanvanthri13. Dhanvanthri had the pot of Amrit14 in his hand. Both the Devas15 and the Asuras16 were aware that drinking from the pot would give them immortality. The Asuras, who had been churning the Ocean of Milk together with the Devas until then, were overcome with greed when they saw the pot of Amrit. They snatched the pot from Dhanvanthri, forgetting their earlier agreement with the Devas. This worried Indira, the king of the Devas. He rushed to Lord Vishnu along with the other Devas. “Oh Lord Vishnu! If the Asuras drink the Amrit, won’t that bring an end to all the good in the world? O Vanquisher of Evil, please stop this terrible evil from happening”, a nervous Indira prayed to him. Lord Vishnu smiled at him. “Do not worry, I am here. I will take care of everything.” In a few moments, something happened that surprised both the Devas and the Asuras. A woman of great beauty and immense splendor appeared from the Ocean of Milk. None of them had seen a woman of such beauty ever before. She walked slowly towards them, graceful as a swan. “Oh woman of great beauty, who are you?” the Asuras asked her, unable to control their excitement. “My name is Mohini17” she said as she smiled lustfully. “Mohini! Mohini!” The Asuras were in awe of Mohini’s beauty and couldn’t stop calling out her name overcome with desire. “So, what’s going on here? Why are you fighting?” asked Mohini. “We want them to share the Amrit with us” said Indira, the King of Devas. “Oh, is that all? Here, give it to me. I will distribute it amongst you” said Mohini. She reached out for the pot from the Asuras. They wordlessly handed over the pot to her, like a snake charmed by a snake charmer. Mohini then made them all sit in two rows on either side of her. On one side were the Devas, the demi-gods, and on the other side were the Asuras, the demons. Mohini then commenced a sensuous dance to seduce them. Her grace, charm and moves took hold of the Asuras' senses. As Mohini danced with the pot in her hand, she fed each of the Devas the real 12
The Ocean of Milk - In Hindu mythology, the Ocean of Milk is the fifth from the centre of the seven oceans that surround directional space and separate it from non-directional space. 13 Dhanvanthri – Per Hindu mythology, Dhanvanthri is the god of medicine, the one who cures all disease 14 Amrit, the divine nectar is the elixir of immortality. It is said that the demi-gods and the demons worked together for a millennium to churn the ocean of milk to release Amrita 15 Devas are the demi-gods in Hindu mythology. 16 Asuras are the demons in Hindu mythology. 17 Mohini - The name Mohini comes from the verb root “Moha”, meaning "to enchant, perplex, or disillusion," and literally means "delusion personified."
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Kareena, Katrina, Priyanka and Lord Vishnu By Shridhar Sadasivan In English: Niruj Mohan -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Amrit, while feeding the Asuras an ordinary drink out of another pot she had kept hidden.. Rahu and Kethu, two of the Asuras quickly realized Mohini’s plan. Kareena was in a cell inside the police station. Her arms were tied to the wall. She looked disheveled, her clothes all awry. There were bruises on her face and on her body, her skin was torn in several places and blood was oozing out from being brutally beaten. “Water…please…someone give me some water.” Her pleas fell on deaf ears. -“Those begging c***s! They had the guts to lay hands on my wife? They should be arrested and locked up within the hour. Beat them black and blue. They shouldn't come anywhere near the temple ever again. Teach those Aravaanis a lesson!” Kumaresan was the powerful minister’s assistant and his words were command at that police station. Within five minutes of the call, the police were on their way. As soon as they spotted the police, Katrina and Priyanka realized there would be trouble, and they ran away. They screamed at Kareena as they ran. Kareena wasn’t paying attention, busy begging. The police vehicle stopped next to her and the policemen caught hold of her. One police officer pulled her by the hair. Kareena screamed in pain. “Please don't, sir, I won't come here to beg, anymore.” “Enough is enough. You people don’t even spare the temple. Get inside the vehicle right now.” He pulled her again by her hair, and started beating her legs with his baton.18 “Ammaaaaaaa!” Kareena cried out. “Please don’t beat me, sir… that hurts… please let me go. I will never come here again. We were only begging, we didn’t do anything wrong, we didn't harm anybody.” By that time a crowd had gathered to watch the drama. Two other policemen joined the beating. They forced Kareena into the police vehicle as they continued hitting her with their batons. Kareena was not able to offer any resistance and she was taken away. “Thank god. Good riddance!” said one man. “I am so sick of these Aravaanis. They were a eye-sore on the holy temple” said one woman. “I was praying to God, hoping someone would come and chase these people away” said another man. “They won’t come here at least for some time now, what a relief,” said another woman. -The chief police officer opened the prison cell and stepped in. Kareena was only half conscious. The chief lifted her face with his baton. “So you are the one? You have the guts to cause trouble in my area? The area I patrol? You bitch, I will destroy you.” “I didn't do anything wrong sir, I swear” Kareena trembled.
18
Baton – Stick carried by policemen
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Kareena, Katrina, Priyanka and Lord Vishnu By Shridhar Sadasivan In English: Niruj Mohan -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“Didn't you scare the visitors at the temple, and extort money from them? You scum bag!” “I only begged for money Sir. I never extorted from them” “.....” “I have to feed myself Sir, I need food,” Kareena’s voice broke.” Our parents throw as away the moment they realize we are transgenders. We are practically orphans, everybody hates us, nobody gives us any work, and we have no other way of life, other than begging Sir. I just asked that rich woman to spare some money,” said Kareena, her eyes brimming with tears. “Look at those crocodile tears! You could be an actor. Fake bitch! What is your name?” “Kareena” she whispered; she had no energy to speak any louder. “Kareena? What a name!” He laughed sarcastically and swung his baton, hitting her knuckles. Kareena screamed in pain. “What name did your parents give you?” “Karan.” Kareena was shaking all over. “What the fuck! Are you a man or a woman?” he asked her contemptuously. “A woman” Kareena replied, again in a feeble voice. Her throat was parched. The chief swung his baton again. This time, it was her knees. “Please don't, sir, don’t hit me. Let me go, I can't take this anymore.” Kareena struggled, unable to stand the pain. “You don't look like a woman to me. Were you born a woman?” The officer was in no mood to spare her. “I was born a man, but I am a woman at heart,” Kareena told him hesitantly. “What the fuck is this confusion?” laughed the chief. “That’s disgusting. You were born a man and you want to be a woman? Look at this, your makeup, saree and bindi, that’s so funny. You are neither here nor there, you Ajakku!19 ” There were other policemen watching and they all laughed at the Chief’s comments. Kareena was sobbing at this time. “Durai!” Called out the Chief. “Yes sir!” Durai, his subordinate, came forward and saluted him. “I am not sure if this one is now a man or a woman. I need to know buddy. How can we find out?” 19
Ajakku – Derogatory term in Tamil for Transgenders
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Kareena, Katrina, Priyanka and Lord Vishnu By Shridhar Sadasivan In English: Niruj Mohan -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Why don't you remove her saree? Let us strip her and see what is inside,” said the Chief with an evil smile. Kareena started panicking. She didn't know what to do. She felt humiliated. “Oh no! Please don't. Please let me go! May God bless you, I am begging you! Someone, please help me. Please stop this!” she screamed and started sobbing loudly. With the intention of having the Amrita by hook or crook, Rahu and Kethu quietly moved to the side of the Devas. Surya (the sun god) and Chandra (the moon god) who were at the Devas side noticed this. They immediately signaled Mohini about the move. Mohini was in no mood to let the Asuras have any of the holy nectar; she chopped off Rahu’s legs and Kethu’s head20 with her ladle, thus preventing any of the Asuras from having the Amrit that day. “Thus Lord Vishnu took the role of a woman and, using his illusory powers, prevented the Asuras from attaining immortality. He, thus, saved the world from destruction,” concluded the elder who had come to the temple to tell the story. Seated in the audience, Kumaresan's pregnant wife was fully immersed in the story. Meanwhile, Kesavan was thanking Kumaresan profusely. “Thank you so much, sir. The Aravaanis' were a big nuisance and thanks to you, they are gone now. One is disgusted just by their appearance. I mean, one has to be either a man or a woman! Look at those half-baked creatures; born a man and now dressed up like a woman, it is sick. I can’t even consider them as fellow beings. Ajakkus! This is a sacred Vishnu temple; and till today these creatures were sullying it. Thankfully, you intervened and handled the situation. I am sure God is very happy with you for doing this. May god bless you sir.” Meanwhile, Raghuram was playing host to the crew from B.B.C. He was explaining the meaning behind the way they had dressed up the processional deity that day. It was the fifth day of the Brahmotsavam, that Tuesday; Lord Vishnu was splendorous in his beauty. A man himself, he had discarded his masculinity that day and had taken the form of a woman. The god, who is usually seen in a silk dhoti21, adorned himself with a blue colored silk saree, bindi, flowers, a waist chain, and anklets on his legs and a crown on his head. The dressed up God was radiant and extremely beautiful and was smiling as Mohini that day.
20
In Hindu mythology, solar and lunar eclipses are revenge by Rahu and Kethu on the sun and the moon gods for not letting them have the Amrita. 21 Dhoti – Traditional outfit for men in India
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