wittnessing Indian Eunichs/Hijras

Yesterday upon return from a morning under the cool fans of the Internet cafe I opened the bright pink gate to my building to find a very strange performance. At first I was very unsure of whether the 15 minute walk in the back wetting heat had made my head go a bit strange or the scene I was starring at was in fact not a mirage at all. There, in the small courtyard next to the land lord's red plastic chair and lazy fly infested cow was a group of four men dressed as women. They were dressed in garnished Sari's and heavily made up. Their strongly emphasized colorful lips, lashes, and eye lids were a strange contrast to their broad shoulders and dominant square jaws. Yet in the bright white afternoon light these men definitely had a subtle trace of beauty in their darkly outlined eyes. Surprisingly the men even moved their strong built bodies in a feminine manner. They appeared to have had mastered the art of slow gentle female movements and batted their while cocking their pretty heads to the side. There was definitely something mystical about the group. This mysticism was enhanced by the soft flowery scent that was being emitted from their bodies even though transparent drops of perspiration were leaving trails down their temples.

The group of four had staged themselves in a semi-circle and were currently putting on a mini musical performance. The smallest of the four had a dark muddy complexion. His wirery arms were moving in rapid succession, palms rythmically flicking the surface of a small drum. With each beat the sun highlighted and shone off his sweaty strong unfeminine biceps draped under a soft silk purple sari. A tuft of long dark hair framed his decorated face. Below his pieced nose was a set of teeth that looked especially white against his black skin and were being exposed in a beautiful wide smile.

My eyes then moved to the other three 'people'. These three were larger and had their long dark hair parted down the middle and then had carefully woven the rest into a long smooth braid. The three stood erect in their glittery bright red, orange and green silks. They stood with their shoulders back and addmitted low masculine melodies from deep within their bellies perfectly in tangent with the drum beat. The sounds emerged in perfect harmony from their puffy painted red lips and I found myself becoming quite hypnotized by their erie chanting.

Next to the scene was the Land lord's wife. She is a small greying women who has a very expressive face. When she speaks her eyebrows jump up and down emphasizing whatever point she is making. Although I cannot understand a word she said says her facial expressions always clearly convey the message. She constantly wonders around the building gossiping to all of the neighbors in high pitched rapid Hindi. She often dresses in a bright green or blue sari and thus I cannot help but notice how much the chattering women reminds me of a parakeet (budgie). On this particular day the small greying women seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the scene. She had a large tooth grin on her face and kept tilting her head, raising her eyebrows, and motioning for me to observe the group (like I really could have missed such a spectacle!). The already constantly cheery women seemed impossibly to be even more pleased than usual. She glowed with pride as the group's music bounced off the walls filling the stair case and subsequent three stories.

After observing this scene for ten minutes or so I placed my palms together in the praying mantas like position nodded my head and muttered a goodbye 'nameste'. Walking up the stairs and running the strange scene over in my head I suddenly remembered a lesson from my introductory anthropology class. Of Course! The people downstairs were Hijra's or Eunichs. I only vaguely remembered that they spontaneously appeared at weddings and births and were supposed to bring good luck...of course only if compensated appropriately.

Later when Ashkay the manager/Fairmail translator arrived for our evening lesson I brought up the subject of Hijras with him. I briefly recounted the scene I had witnessed this afternoon and asked him what he knew about these people. Ashkay turned his chair to face me and his usually tired looking eyes lit up. However the light was not one of joy but of something that touched on anger. This anger was reflected immediately in his quick verbal reaction. "These people are criminals! All they want is money! And you must pay them or you will have bad luck. You see they show up at weddings and births. They put on a performance and then abuse you for money. When my wife had her first child they appeared at our door. I first offered them 600 rupees. However they became angry. They push, shove, flash you and verbally abuse for more money. They demanded I pay 2,000 rupees and made my wife give them her best Sari! Finially I had to pay and give them the Sari to get them to leave!"

This explanation of course greatly intrigued me. Pressing for more information, "So you mean they're not invited? Then how do they know about these events?

Ashkay explained, "It's india. Everyone knows about everything. The Hijras just wander the streets in groups and listen to the people talk. By hearing the people talk they know about weddings or births and then are sure to be there. The old women think their good luck but like everyone in India they just want money."

Quite fascinated my mind began to wonder. What would it be like to be one of these men/women? How do they get started into these careers? And why was the land lord's wife so happy about their presence if they are really just criminals?

The answer to the third question became very apparent about ten o'clock as I lay down for my nightly battle for sleep against the heat. However tonight the heat had an ally, there was loud gathering/party in the building next door. Becoming more and more frustrated as the rented speakers from the party amplified the festive music, during my tossing and turning I had a revolation and was able understand the land lord's wife's pleasure during the hijras performance. As I lay i thought 'AH ha!' The hijras must have come for THIS party. The land lord's wife wasnt hosting the event and thus was enjoying the Hijras entertainment free from financial obligation. Perhaps she was even taking joy and laughing to herself that her poor neighbors would later be targets of the group.

Then, this morning I moved on to answer my second question: How do they get started into these careers? This was easily accomplished a quick key word search on google. According to wikipedia (always a good place to start for basic explanations) "Becoming a hijra is a process of socialisation into a "hijra family" through a relationship characterised as chela "student" to guru "teacher", leading to a gradual assumption of femininity. Typically each guru lives with at least five chelas; her chelas assume her surname and are considered part of her lineage. Chelas are expected to give their income to their guru, who manages the household. Hijra families are close-knit communities and often have their own houses." I cannot imagine as a small child being given/stolen and having to study the art of basically being a social menace.

My first question: What would it be like to be one of these men/women? Well, that answer will forever be restricted to my imagination. Perhaps documentaries and research can enhance the mental creation of life as a Hijra but the strange reality of this career will forever be a mystery.