The Hijra Comes in from the Heat and Dust: NOTES TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF BANGLADESHI WRITING IN ENGLISH

Anyone who has been to South Asia has come across hijras in towns and cities, conspicuously different from the average man or woman, in appearance, garb, demeanour. They do regular rounds in markets, collecting what could be called a tithe from shopkeepers. Always in small groups, they hustle people in cars waiting at crossroads for the go signal. Given half a chance they whisk away mobile phones or other valuable objects and make a quick getaway in the thick traffic. Unsurprisingly, ‘hijra’ has made it into the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, though the definition, ‘a transvestite or eunuch’, isn’t comprehensive. Many, born hijra, are intersexual. As a small marginalised community, they have been part of South Asian society since ancient times. Tradition assigns them a certain role while keeping them away from the social mainstream. Living in small communities headed by a matriarchal figure, the Guru-Ma, they learn to sing and dance. Though shunned by the rest of society, including the families into which they were born, they are regarded as dispensers of divine blessings. And so, when a child is born or a couple gets married, their presence is sought. They sing and dance and bless the new-born or the newly-weds and are feted and plied with monetary gifts. Such events must be the high points in their lives. Otherwise, apart from what they can hustle, their only source of income is from prostitution; they could be compared to Thai katoeys or ladyboys. Being neither here nor there in terms of sexual identity, hijras couldn’t be admitted to schools, vote, get a job or apply for a passport. Quintessential