|
|
|
| December 17, 2006 | Sunday | Ziqa'ad 25, 1427 |
A convention of ‘their’ own
Multan, Dec 16: Eunuchs are dervish, who spend their lives in a world of their own, holding no grudges, says recently-nominated octogenarian guru Chach Saadi, who organised a four-day country wide eunuch convention which concluded in Kot Addu, Muzaffargarh, on Saturday night.
About 370 eunuchs and their gurus from 40 cities of the country participated in the convention, held in a discreet manner at ward 14, Kakkay Wala, in the memory of Ustad Allah Bakhsh, the late guru of Chacha Saadi.
One gold ring, a pail, a flour-kneading basin (parat) and ceremonial clothes were gifted to the each participant by the organiser, while all the food for them was cooked in “desi ghee”. The organiser had bought 20 goats for the feast.
Participants in the convention demanded quota for eunuchs in assemblies, besides jobs in government departments.
To solve the problems they have to face in society and struggle for their rights, an all Pakistan eunuch association was formed during the convention and Amma Nenda, 80, was elected its first central guru.
The convention, organised to mourn the death of Chacha Saadi’s teacher Ustaad Allaha Bakhsh, started on Dec 11.
On the first day of convention, all eunuchs and gurus wore mourning dresses, chanted dirges and condoled the death of his guru with Chacha Saadi in groups. Later, they visited Mai Nenda who was lying in a bed.
The second day was celebrated as “Bethak Day” and eunuchs shed their mourning dresses and wore colourful ones. They spent the day sitting in groups and chatting with each other.
On the third day, all the participants observed a day-long fast, and a grand dinner was served at the end of the day. Dance performance by an octogenarian eunuch from Peshawar was also a part of the day’s ceremonies.
Meanwhile, a eunuch, who was caught eating during the fast, was slapped Rs20,000 fine by a five-member jury. She paid it on the spot.
Fourth and the last day of convention was the day of coronation of Chacha Saadi. All the eunuchs participated in the traditional coronation ceremony and discussed the problems they were facing in society.
Mai Nenda and Mai Bonda performed the coronation and all the participants gave presents (Salami) to Chacha Saadi. Later, they celebrated the coronation by dancing for hours.
Speaking at the concluding day of the convention, Mai Nenda, Mai Bonda and Mai Asyyia said that people didn’t have any respect for them in spite of the fact that they were quite harmless people.
They deplored that everybody cracked jokes about them and showed disrespect for them, adding: “Perhaps they forget that we too are humans. We are helpless in our own country as nobody is ready to know about us. Nobody is ready to know our problems, and no one is ready to accept us as part of the society.”
“We have also been isolated politically. Whenever we go to cast vote in an election, local or general, women ask us to poll votes on male side and men insist we should go to female booths.” The government should make arrangements for mentioning the third gender in voters’ list and in the national identity cards, they demanded.
Chacha Saadi said all eunuchs obey the orders of their guru, and it was an honour for her to be nominated as guru of the area. She said now Kot Addu, Kot Sultan, Paharpur, Pir Jaggi, Chowk Sarwar Shaheed, Chok Azam, Fatehpur, Rangpur, Sanawan and Mehmood Kot were in her `jurisdiction’ and the area was demarcated some 70 years back before partition of subcontinent.
She said no guru from any other area was allowed to interfere in his jurisdiction and only he was authorised to collect money from the area.
More than hundred participants of the convention had performed Hajj, while Rasheed Ahmed performed nine Hajj and 14 Umras.
Haji Jameela from Mir Pur Khas, one of the participants, had got constructed a mosque and an Imam Bargah adjoining her residence there.
|
|
|
|
