Delhi High Court recruits first transgender clerk

NEW DELHI: Breaking the stereotypes, she took the post of clerical job with the Delhi High Court and established herself as the first transgender clerk with the city's highest court. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh's Badaun, 30-year-old Babli left her family seven years back.

She initially started working on a project with the Delhi State Legal Services Authority five months back. following which she was selected for it. However, her journey was very smooth. Daily mental torture and harassment was a regular feature for her throughout her struggling days.

"Ever since I was conscious of my sexual orientation, my family had been very supportive of me. But the jibes from neighbours and relatives were something that always haunted me. When things crossed a limit, it was then that I decided to leave the house. I consulted a trans friend of mine, who had been working as orchestra dancer, so I decided to join them to earn money," said Babli.

While Babli was once on a tour with her orchestra team, she saw a person beating a trans. It was then she realised that she would study and work hard to establish herself in life.

"After returning from the tour, I decided to leave the orchestra. I joined a non-governmental organisation, Pahel to study. Thereafter, there was no looking back for me. Initially, it was not easy but as they say‘where there's a will there's a way’. I used to wake up early to cope up with others as I had missed a lot of early schooling," added Babli.

All her struggle and hard work culminated in a happy ending this September when she got a government job in the Delhi High Court.

However, people's treatment towards her community often makes her sad.

"I know the world sees us differently but at the end, we are human too. I still do not understand why people see us as untouchables. This was not a choice but God has made us like this. People should treat us equally as we have done no harm to them. I have also worked with the Delhi Traffic Police in various campaigns for creating awareness about traffic rules and believe in doing a lot of social work," she added.

Now, Babli lives a life of respect and proudly identifies herself a transgender person. The only thing, she says, missing in her life now is her family.

(With DNA inputs)