Dr. Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju popularly known as 'ind0ctrination' is the first trans woman doctor of Karnataka. She is renowned for being candid about her struggles as a transperson living in India and for her social activism for Trans Rights.
Born as Angad Gummaraju, she knew from the very start that she didn’t fully identify with the gender assigned to her at birth (male). She stood out for being effeminate and was bullied throughout her childhood. As a result of all the social exclusion and harassment, she developed gender dysphoria. With a brave face, she carried on, taking her own time to figure out her identity and sexuality. It was during college that she came out as a transwoman. After coming out to her parents and society, she faced a lot of backlashes but her parents eventually came around and are now her biggest pillars of strength.
She decided to undergo surgery and insisted on saving for it to ease the finances off her parents. She underwent Hormone Replacement Therapy, Augmentation Procedures, and Sex Reassignment Surgery. She has time and again reiterated the point that while it’s not necessary to undergo any of those as a trans person, this was something she felt inclined to do in order to come to terms with her new identity. She has been extremely vocal about her journey and the obstacles she faced alongside. She also highlighted the impact transitioning had on her voice, skin, body fat, and on her mental health. In the form of vlogs on her YouTube channel called 'The Trinetra Method' and write-ups on her social media, she has shared with the world how transitioning feels like, in the hope that it’ll make it easier for someone out there. She covered aspects like the legal proceedings, medical procedures, and socio-cultural factors at play during a transition such as hers. During that difficult time, social media became her creative and cathartic outlet which also simultaneously ended up inspiring thousands of people worldwide.
She rose above the supposed ‘natural’ order and carved a niche for herself in a world full of transphobia and orthodoxy. She considers herself lucky to have been given the opportunity to pick out a name for herself and she chose ‘Trinetra’ as it binds her to her Bengali roots and also is a synonym of ‘Durga’ who is the embodiment of courage, power, and incomparable strength. After completing her MBBS, she began interning at the Kasturba Medical Hospital, Manipal. She has achieved great feats in her social, legal, and medical journey as she continues to establish her place as a transwoman in this world breaking all stereotypes.
In the future, she aspires to aid and ease the process for other trans people out there and to establish a solid healthcare system for trans people in India. She’s also known for unabashedly handling trolls who harass her online. Now, an eminent social media personality, Trinetra uses her platform to raise a voice against all that is unjust and malicious in the society. In the fight against transphobia and misinformation, her weapons of choice are her words and her illustrative artworks. In the past, she has spoken about the inhuman practices of virginity testing, chastity belts, husband stitch, Female Genital mutilation, Female hysteria, honour killings, etc. She also brought to the forefront the shortcomings of the Trans Bill 2018 and 2019 and emerged as a voice for the trans people, subsequently. She continues to speak about the unjust treatment trans people are subjected to by cisgender heterosexual people and how veiled transphobia still exists in the form of backhanded comments. She has also given a TEDx talk and is frequently invited to conferences wherein she spreads awareness about trans rights. She is a beacon of self-love and empowerment who continues to spread light to drive away social evils. Dr. Trinetra works hard to make this world a better place every day and has become the voice of reason for the inequities faced by trans people. Her candour and strength have helped many with their own battles. She has become an inspiration for plenty who find solace in knowing that they are not alone and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Author-
Aditi Kapoor
aditikapoor.18x@gmail.com
Aditi is currently pursuing her Bachelors in English (Hons.) with a minor in Psychology from Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi. She took to writing poetry, articles and reading books from a very young age owing to her parents who are both avid readers. She is a coffee addict and she loves to observe people. She loves to stay in her little cocoon and would occasionally venture out when an opportunity knocks!
Beautifully written !
Well written Aditi, what a beautiful piece. It brings to mind what I read recently and agree with wholeheartedly:
Leslie Feinberg – “Like racism and all forms of prejudice, bigotry against transgender people is a deadly carcinogen. We are pitted against each other in order to keep us from seeing each other as allies. Genuine bonds of solidarity can be forged between people who respect each other’s differences and are willing to fight their enemy together. We are the class that does the work of the world and can revolutionize it. We can win true liberation.”
Really informative......👍
Great work!