Ostracized by her family at the age of 14 for being a transgender, Rathi Punithavathiyar has come a long way since then. She recently launched her book and became the first transgender author from the city.
The book, written in Tamil, was launched in the city at the cultural fest organized by the members of Coimbatore district transgender welfare association.
“When I turned 14, I realized the changes in my body and I yearned to become a lady. But my family members did not understand me and I had leave home,” said Rathi. With no one to support her at that young age, she faced several hardships.
“I was not aware of many things as my parents had taken really good care of me. I was forced to do things that I was uncomfortable with including begging,” she said.
But influenced by the several achievers in her community, including Padmini who became the first transgender news reader, Kalki, an author and several becoming doctors, she decided to do what she liked the most – write.
Though she studied only till Class 10, she said she was confident that she would author a book. “Finding a publisher was the most difficult task,” said Rathi.
After several months of hardship, she finally got the book published. It would be available for public from January. “This book is the first part and I am working on the second part as well which would be published by March. Telling the stories of transgenders gives me extreme happiness. I hope that one day the society would treat us equally,” she said.
The event saw was also a platform for many transgenders from the city to showcase their talent. Many performed dances, took part in the fashion show and recited poetry.
“This event was mainly held to launch our website that will cater to various needs of the trangenders. Also, to help people understand our community,” said Sangeetha, state president of the transgender welfare association.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Komal Gautham, TNN / November 18th, 2015
Several issues affecting society at large has been effectively addressed through public interest litigations filed before the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court by individual activists. At the same time, frivolous petitions have added to the burden of judiciary.
In the nineties it was common to spot reckless fish cart riders causing accidents in the busy thoroughfares of Chennai. These riders, mostly fish vendors and load deliverers, used to zoom past on tricycles that were illegally fitted with mechanised engines.
‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
When the police and transport department officials failed to rein them in, a frail man, ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy, decided to take up the task of checkmating the violators. A former weaving master in the now defunct Binny Mills, Ramaswamy filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition in the Madras High Court questioning how an illegally modified motor vehicle could be allowed to ply on the streets. The court promptly banned the mechanised fish carts in 2002.
This was just one of the successful legal battles fought by Ramaswamy, now an octogenarian. He has thus far filed over 500 PILs, some of them of controversial ones, braving threats from vested interest elements. Though he does not have a legal background and encounters problems in communicating in English, Ramaswamy appears as party in person to argue his cases.
Judges and many lawyers at the Madras High Court recognise him as he was the one who obtained a stay against constructing a flyover on the NSC Bose Road near the court in 1998. He was also instrumental in getting a one-way traffic system reversed on the same road.
Another man, who has successfully litigated on matters of public interest, is social activist A. Narayanan. Founder of CHANGEindia, a centre for research and advocacy on social and governance issues, he moved a PIL to get a State-wise ban imposed on entry of human beings into sewerage manholes and septic tanks. His litigation eventually led to the enactment of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 in India.
“PIL can only be a part of an activist’s larger engagement for advocating change. There should be lot of research before filing a PIL petition and it requires constant follow up to ensure that a favourable order is implemented,” points out Narayanan.
Asked how effective a remedy is the PIL, he says in a country bogged by poor governance, lack of accountability, deep rooted corruption, unresponsive and undemocratic, power-centric administration, lack of engagement with civil society and more importantly failure of regulatory institutions, people are being driven to the courts for seeking relief.
“When more and more people approach the court with genuine public interest, definitely we can expect a positive change throughout the country,” says RTI activist Jawaharlal Shanmugam. He had successfully fought a PIL to secure compensation to 16 patients who contracted Hepatitis-C virus while undergoing treatment for kidney ailment at the State-run Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai earlier this year.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Suresh Kumar / Chennai – November 16th, 2015
