Renowned Hindu scholar Morari Bapu’s recent Ram Katha in Thane, Mumbai, has been dedicated entirely to the “Kinnar Samaj” – India’s transgender community.
The Katha has already made headway by breaking down the barriers and taboos around the community and empowering them to be better accepted in today’s society.
The Thane recital has been in the making for over a year and has been very well attended, including by Shankararcharya and over 1,000 transgender participants from the Asia Pacific regions.
One of the key members in India’s transgender community is Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, India’s first transgender to represent her community at the United Nations, and also the first one to write her own story in an autobiography which has already become a best seller in Asia.
Laxmi is also in the process of establishing a Kinnar Akhada Vishwapeeth and has already represented the community at the Kumbh Mela.
The Kinnar Samaj practices rituals for both men and women and are devotees of “Bauchar Maa” and worship “Ardhanareshwar” – the union of Parvati and Shiva, a union symbolising both a man and a woman.
Bapu reiterated in the Katha the significance of the Kinnar community in the Ramayana. During Lord Rama’s 14 year exile, a number of his subjects followed him into the forest out of devotion. However, Lord Rama addressed them all to go back. Upon his return, only the Kinnar community remained waiting for Lord Rama’s arrival. Impressed with their devotion, Lord Rama granted them a boon to confer blessings on people during auspicious inaugural occasions like childbirth and weddings – a practice that is still followed in India today.
Bapu’s Katha has been widely welcomed in India and particularly amongst the international transgender community for empowering the Kinnar community and emphasising their significance to society.
