BE THE VOICE OF CHANGE

Being an SSC CGL aspirant I have always been keen follower of a channel named UPSC World Official which usually uploads current affairs and some unsung stories which is not known to many of this generation. Of late I came across the amazing story of Kaveri Mary D’Souza, who made headlines as the first transgender woman in the state of Karnataka to drive an auto rickshaw. Her journey is indeed a journey of strength and bravery.

Growing up, I always heard and saw, even in movies,that transgenders were portrayed as individuals who beg for money or engage in sex work. Society seemed to decide this was their only role. No one ever told us that the coin has both a head and a tail—that there are people in the transgender community who are educated, hardworking, and earn a dignified livelihood for themselves. Mary D’Souza is one such inspiring example.

Born as Stancy D’Souza into a family below the poverty line, Mary always felt different. From childhood, she yearned to transition into a woman but feared the judgment of society. While studying in the 10th grade, she made the bold decision to drop out of school. With only ₹20 in her pocket, Mary began her fight for survival, working in hotels in Surathkal. She spent months sleeping in bus stands and surviving on temple prasad and leftover food from weddings.

Her path completely changed when “Gellaya”,an NGO for transgender people, reached out to her. Under their supervision, she underwent full gender reassignment surgery. The circumstances, however, were still not very favorable for her. In the beginning, she had to Beg and engage in prostitution, which is the sad reality of the majority of the transgender individuals. Still, however, Mary knew that She had always wanted to go above and beyond: to live and die in a dignified manner.

Her resolve led her to NGOs like “Samara” in Bangalore, where she met her mentor Mp Jhayashree and was offered a job at her office and worked there for nearly 10 Months  Just as life seemed to stabilize, Mary was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB), which took six months to recover from. On her return, she found that her job had been given to someone else. Soon after, she faced another devastating loss—her mother passed away.

Determined to rebuild her life, Mary started a small grocery store in her hometown. Sadly, her efforts as an entrepreneur proved unsuccessful, resulting in debts of ₹1,87,000. At this point of concern, luck had a new twist. While living in Bangalore, her neighbor Kantharaj, also offered her to teach how to drive an auto-rickshaw which turned out to be a life-altering skills.

To purchase an auto-rickshaw, Mary sought help. Samrudhi Mahila Mandali offered her ₹60,000 alongside a loan of ₹50,000, and Roshan Humanity Trust stepped in to clear her ₹1.8 lakh debt.With their support, Mary started her auto services in Pethri, becoming Karnataka’s first transgender woman auto driver.

Her efforts were recognized when she was honored with the “Changemaker 2024” award by Deccan Herald.Her story challenges deep-rooted stereotypes and serves as an inspiration to the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

Mary’s powerful words leave a lasting impact:

Transgenders are always told to change. It’s been long since we changed. Now, it’s time for you to change your point of view.

Kaveri Mary D’Souza’s life account is a noder which depicts that transgenders are more than what is forced upon them by stubborn society. With courage, dignity and unyielding spirit, they are smashing stereotypes, earning livelihoods and most importantly, they are our role models.