December 31, 2002	Tuesday	Shawwal 26, 1423

VARANASI: By night they dance, by day they discuss the ‘war on terrorism’. For some 30,000 Indian eunuchs, their boisterous annual convention is a chance to chat, party and perhaps find a stepmother.

For two weeks, Gurudham Colony, a usually quiet neighbourhood in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, buzzed with excitement as eunuchs rejoiced in the company of the only others who accept them.

Temporary shops sprung up selling everything from bangles to electronics.

“The idea of such meets is to revive old ties and build new ones,” explained Bashir Nayak, a prominent eunuch in this north Indian city who spent a year preparing for the 12-day annual conference that closed on Sunday.

The forum is officially a chance to discuss the state of the Indian eunuch and delegates included such eminent community members as Shabnam Mausi, who in 1999 became the first eunuch elected to the legislature of the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

The eunuchs said their discussions went from the practical, such as how to increase their political clout, to the philosophical, such as the meaning of patriotism.

“In our meetings we also spoke at length about terrorism and methods to counter it,” said Dhirabai, another eunuch from Madhya Pradesh.

Non-eunuchs were barred from listening in.

“Nobody can go inside,” said Dhirabai, guarding the main tent.

“Look, we too love our privacy, and allowing people inside means disrupting our schedule,” Dhirabai said.

Indian eunuchs, known in Hindi as “hijras,” are generally not actually castrated, but are transsexuals, transvestites or hermaphrodites who fall into the community after being rejected by their families.

Eunuchs are traditionally reviled in Indian society. They are known for their aggressive begging and make extra money through prostitution and singing and dancing at weddings and other festive occasions.

“Unlike other times when we go door to door commemorating happy moments for others, here we’ve gathered under one roof to share happiness with one another,” said Rekha Bai, before showing a quick dance move gleaned from Hindi films.

“And we’re having great fun, too!” added Suraiya Nayak, revered as “Miss India” for winning a eunuch beauty contest three years in a row. (Many eunuchs share the last name Nayak, which means actor.)

As they partied at night, the eunuchs would not have seemed out of place at a lavish Indian wedding. Their faces were painted brightly, their ankles were clapsed by heavy silver, and their foreheads, necks and arms weighed down by ornate gold jewellery.

Despite the abuse often inflicted on eunuchs, the delegates said they have had little problem with robbery and enjoyed police protection.

“Besides, we’ve earned this jewellery sheerly through hard work,” said Bashir Nayak.

Monu, who came to Varanasi all the way from Nepal, showed off a prized possession: a thick gold chain with an emerald locket.

“My mother has gifted this to me,” Monu said.

Like many eunuchs, particularly those in their teens and 20s, the conference is a chance to find surrogate parents, as their biological families have rejected them.

“We have no weddings and don’t have children, so it’s at these meetings that we adopt daughters and nieces and even grandchildren,” explained Angoori Nayak.

“There are serious and holy ceremonies at which lots of gifts are exchanged,” Nayak said.

While they are treated as outcasts by society at large, the eunuchs believe their convention could teach something to other Indians.

“We want our political leaders and our countrymen to learn a lesson from us on how to maintain unity,” said Bashir Nayak.

“We eunuchs have always understood the language of love and humanity. Castes and religion have never played a role in our lives.”—AFP