Eating habits, Poha, or halwa hogged the headlines, the news, ‘Eunuchs’ dance with ill infant turns fatal,’ was relegated somewhere in an obscure middle page of the dailies.
One of the children, born as twins, fifty days ago was ill and had come home twenty days ago, as the eunuchs assembled with their loud and bawdy songs at their gate, demanding twelve thousand rupees. Feeble attempts to send them away met with little success, as they grabbed the baby boy and started dancing. The sick infant died unable to endure the animated gesticulations. The police later arrested three eunuchs. The sad incidence was at West Bengal’s Jhargram yesterday.
Harassment by eunuchs is nothing new in India. They could be around fifty thousand to six million in numbers, living mostly in metropolitan towns of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. Eunuchs are despised and feared for their abusive and vulgar behaviour and show up at marriages or new births to demand huge monies.
Eunuchs are either intersexual or born male to develop. Often gay men and transsexuals are added into their ranks. Unlike transgender people, who experience their gender in conflict, other than as assigned during their birth, eunuchs are born male with their external organs removed surgically, with or without consent. Their life is shrouded in secrecy.
Indians fear their powers to cast a spell and curse and hurriedly yield to their demands, sighing a relief in their departure. There is a nexus between the birth registry at the nursing homes, municipalities, who share the details of every new child born with the eunuchs. They do a quite survey and ascertain from the security men or servants about the financial strength before placing a ‘suitable’ demand. Failure to yield often meets with a threat to disrobe in public, which is considered an evil omen for the family and the children.
Police are not enthusiastic about arresting the eunuchs and bringing them to the lock-up. ‘Hell breaks loose until we produce them in the court the next day,’ confided a senior police official. Very recently, my niece had to cough up forty thousand rupees with a few sarees and other gifts to make them go.
It’s time that the government bans the forcible collection of sums from new mothers, on the fear of the wrath of God’s of the eunuchs and their spell of curses. They must immediately assimilate with the society, their dignity intact.
My heart goes out to the family of the kid who died, in the most unfortunate circumstances. I also empathize cross-genders and those with gender identity disorders as well as unconsented and forced eunuchs.
SS Kumar
Intrépide Voix
