Hope floats

A. Revathi's book is not just a vivid account of a hijra's life, it sends out a strong message to the society at large

Encapsulating the life of a hijra, the pain and anguish which is an integral part of the everyday experience of the fraternity's members, is A. Revathi's autobiographical book The Truth About Me: A Hijra Life Story (Penguin India/Rs.299) Originally written in Tamil, it has been translated into English by V. Geetha, a writer and social activist. Being a hijra herself, Revathi knows this life inside out.

Confessing to having been marginalised Revathi, who was born as Doraiswamy, a male, says “This book is about my everyday experience of discrimination, ridicule, and pain, it is also about my endurance and my joys and moreover it intends to introduce to the readers the lives of hijras, their distinct culture, and their dreams and desires”. Prior to this, two hijras have written books about their life in Tamil, Priya Babu's “Naan Saravanan Alla” (2007) and Vidya's “I am Vidya” 2008.

The versatile Revathi has been working with Bengaluru-based sexuality rights organisation, Sangama, for over nine years and has also acted in a Tamil movie “Thenavattu”.

Full report here Hindu