ANARKALI KINNAR: A true Indian

This year election in Orissa was different, and one that will be remembered at least for all of us at ODISHA-One. Anarkali Kinnar (Kali Mausi to her loved ones) a hijra residing near Vani Vihar Square, Bhubaneswar, for the first time got an opportunity to cast her vote. Though Kali Mausi and the names of other hijras residing with her had with a lot of difficulty been included in the electoral list however they had been told they would not be able to cast their votes as they did not have any photo identity proofs, (EC had listed out 13 photo identity proofs, e.g. driving license, pan card, ration card etc.).

Kali Mausi met many NGOs, Officials and begged them to give her and her community an opportunity to vote, but without any success. On 23 April, Kali Mausi went early in the morning to beg and convince the polling officers of the 112 Assembly Constituency/Booth at Sahidnagar Primary School to cast her vote. The Polling Officers who were initially reluctant, took a lenient view and gave her permission to cast her vote when she showed them her marriage certificate and marriage photographs.

Kali Mausi was ecstatic and gave credit for this to a Community Mobilizer, Lakhmidhar Pradhan working in an EU/Interact/Lepra Project in the slums of Bhubaneswar. Lakhmidhar Pradhan has been tirelessly working with the hijras and other marginalized and invisible communities in the slums of Bhubaneswar since the last sixteen years, and since the past one year he had been trying to enroll the names of all the hijras in the electoral list.

‘This is my birthright and I deserve to vote’ was all that Kali Mausi expressed when asked how she felt.