Taslima Nasreen From Exclusion to Inspiration

Taslima Nasreen — an ecstatic transgender woman, accountable entrepreneur and determined social activist. Abandoned by her family at the age of 13, she attempted suicide, but fate had other plans in store for her.

- AMREEN SHAIKH

She was rescued by a group of transgenders who saw her sleeping in a park at Tirupur.

“If my parents and brothers had noticed me in Tirupur, they would have killed me, so I moved to Bengaluru and underwent a sex change surgery,” says Taslima. There, she applied for jobs in many companies, but since they did not accept her, she had to beg at traffic signals. She moved to Pudukkottai to get treatment as she was unwell and met Anjalai who worked with Mahaveers Trust. Taslima says, “She was one among those who was instrumental in getting me an identity in society.”