A post-graduate degree holder in computer science from Punjab University, begs on the streets of Delhi for a living. “I faced a lot of difficulties, I did sex work, begging, I did everything I could to make ends meet. I didn’t have these feelings before; life was pretty simple back then,” Kiran Sakhi says.

“The company where I was working accepted me as a transgender, but after two months I began to feel uncomfortable. I couldn’t get along with my junior colleagues at that time. I could not work with them. I became a laughing stock for them,” she says. “On March 6, 2014, I resigned forcibly and got myself out.”

She said that she barely reaches the interview stage when she applies for a job due to her gender, she said that she is now begging for a living while at the same time applying for jobs.

\"I faced a lot of difficulties, I did sex work, begging, I did everything I could to make ends meet. I didn\'t have these feelings before, life was pretty simple back then. But since I became a transgender, then I realized how tough life is. Now I am begging in Delhi, life is tough and it is difficult to survive but overall I am happy,\" said Sakhi.

Due to their lack of access to jobs and education, many of India’s transgenders -also known as ‘hijras’ - are forced to work as sex workers or beg on the streets. In April 2014, the Supreme Court recognised transgender as a legal third gender and, in a landmark judgment lauded by human rights groups, called on the government to ensure their equal treatment. The court ruling recognised the community as a marginalised group and directed the authorities to implement policies to improve their socio-economic status.

By Premji