Aloe Vera and the Void

‘Aloe Vera and The Void’ by Renuka Rajiv and Aarthi Parthasarathy, is a series of conversations and reflections about belief, god and exclusion. In the first chapter, we speak with Purushi — a transgender woman who lives in Bangalore, India.
Thank you Purushi for sharing your story and time, and thank you Poornima Sukumar for the translation and support.

(Notes — Transgender people are sometimes asked to bless people as it is believed that their blessings have merit.
- Guru-Chela translates as Teacher-Student or Master-Disciple. This relationship carries a tradition of community, and the chelas often live with/near the guru.
- The transgender community in India is very marginalised, and has limited access to employment opportunities and housing. Transgender women often depend on begging and/or sex work for income.
- The caste system in India is a system of social stratification which is centuries-old, and there are many theories about its origin. Under this system, people were categorised by their occupations. Individuals were born into, worked, married, ate, and died within those unalterable groups, there was no social mobility. This inherited, physically invisible difference eventually became discrimination.
Though in present day, caste discrimination has been outlawed and reforms are in place, the political and social force of this system still prevails.)