Apsara Reddy, India's Caitlyn Jenner! Talks About Her Sex Change

- CSS Latha

I was born as Ajay Reddy. I always wanted to be a girl. In fact from a very young age, I used to dress up like a girl. I would tie my hair in plaits, wear flowers and slip into my mother’s footwear. Everybody encouraged me thinking these were merely a child’s pranks. But deep inside me, I always felt I was a girl... never once like a boy. But let me start my saga from the beginning.

MY FAMILY

My father Ramesh Reddy is from a very well-educated family from Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. My mother Anuradha Reddy is actually my superhero. She too hails from a well read and well travelled family, and is responsible for shaping me to be the person I am today. My grandfather Gopalkrishna Reddy too was a very generous man. He left his entire property to me.

CHILDHOOD FLASHBACK

My mother’s side looked after me very well; my dad’s side, not that much. My dad was an alcoholic and he used to constantly have issues with my mom and me. I think even after men get married, they don’t mellow down. Instead, they like to live a bachelor’s life - boy’s nights out and all that. My dad too continued doing that for a very long time. And that took a huge toll on us. There were times when he was very aggressive with mom and me, though my mom would shield me from his ire. My problems with him escalated even more when I hit my teens. That’s actually when I fi rst told my parents about my gender preference. But sadly, we never had a matured discussion about this because of his closed mind and anger.

MY PROBLEMS WITH MY FATHER