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Manabi Bandopadhyay- not just a name but an icon. An icon representing a part of the world that has been repeatedly secluded or ignored by the ‘us’ or the normal world. A powerful name that portrays the tiring struggle that she has endured.
Manabi Bandopadhyay, currently an associate professor in Bengali at Vivekananda Satobarshiki Mahavidyalaya, à woman’s university, will take charge of Krishnagar Women’s College on 9 June. With this, she would not only succeed in becoming the first transgender college principal of India, but also probably of the entire world. The decision though, was not been approved and welcomed by everyone equally. Transgender and human rights’ activists hail it as a triumphant achievement for their community that has been warded off almost everytime.
‘This decision was taken by the College Service Commission. I don’t interfere in their decisions. They are aware of our open mind. I am happy with this decision,’ West Bengal state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee told in his statement to the media. Manabi, on the other hand, is just too glad. Visiting the college on Tuesday, accompanied by her adopted son and a transgender friend, she stated, ‘My new colleagues had seen me on television but I had only heard their voices. I wanted to meet them personally before joining,’ referring to her appearance on reality TV show Bigg Boss Bangla that further helped her in achieving fame.
The Supreme Court of India recognized transgender people as ‘third sex’ after much efforts, in a landmark ruling last year, but Bandopadhyay said a lot still remains to be done. ‘Even today parents think that this is a mental health issue. A few days back, a boy from Burdwan committed suicide when he couldn’t stand the pressure from his parents, who wanted him to take psychiatric help because he was a transgender,’ she said expressing grief.
‘I have come across boys who don’t have support from their parents and cannot get operated upon without their consent. They resort to birth control pills, hoping that the high estrogen will help them feel like women. But they don’t realize that these pills will cause more harm than good’ she concluded. Meanwhile, she has been hailed as the face of the revolution, garnering attention and fame with well wishers and supporters of the same.
Tags: Kolkata Manabi Bandopadhyay
