Once Among Elite, Eunuchs Now Sing, Dance In Despair

Four centuries ago, during the glittering rule of the Mogul monarchs, eunuchs were at the apex of power.
As the entertainers, trusted guards and tutors of the king`s harem, eunuchs thrived in a swirl of court intrigue. Through a favored concubine of the king, a eunuch could shape royal policy.
 A bribe to an influential eunuch could advance the fortunes of an ambitious courtier; a eunuch`s whispered accusation could bring ruin.

But today, eunuchs are pariahs in Indian society, clinging to their close-knit community to escape social derision. Estimates of their numbers range from 60,000 to more than 1 million.
To earn a meager living, they dance and sing at weddings and other family celebrations. Their presence at such times is considered a good omen, although many Indians regard them as beggers, prostitutes and a nuisance.
Historically, eunuchs, called hijras in Hindi, were men who were castrated and served as harem officials at a time when women were confined to purdah, or seclusion. Now most claim they are congenital eunuchs, or born with defective sex organs. Others say they have both male and female organs.
The birth of such a child is still considered a disgrace here and eunuchs say that rather than being given medical care, the baby often is given to them to raise. But according to some reports, eunuchs have been known to force parents to surrender a child.
For two years, Khairati Lal Bhola, a self-styled champion of the eunuchs, has contended that innocent boys are captured and forced to become part of the ``eunuch empire.`` Bhola says he heads a union of 50,000 eunuchs.
He charges that 40,000 boys are castrated in India every year. After they are kidnaped, he said, the youngsters are exploited by the eunuch leaders or gurus who pocket most of their earnings. Bhola has petitioned Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to arrest the gurus and rehabilitate the eunuchs by providing pensions, housing, ration cards and vocational training.
``Every day, about 40 or 50 eunuchs come to me asking for help,`` said Bhola, who is married, has a family and is not a eunuch. ``Just yesterday, a man came to tell me about his plight. He was just about to be married, and the gurus kidnaped him and castrated him. The man was weeping.``
The eunuchs say that Bhola is a fraud who makes promises to better their situation in exchange for hefty contributions.
``He says, `Give me 1,000 rupees (about $80), and I will get you a seat in Parliament,` `` explained Tara, 32, a eunuch with cropped curly hair, heavy eye makeup and bangles. ``And we say, `What will we do with a seat in Parliament?` ``
Although other Indians refer to a eunuch as ``it,`` the eunuchs consider themselves female, taking women`s names and dressing like them. Disputes have flared over such issues as whether they should be allowed to occupy bus seats reserved for women.

In cities such as Delhi where large numbers of eunuchs congregate, they have a finely tuned organization. Generally, a eunuch joins a household, where up to six may live under one guru.
Earnings are pooled and shared equally among the group. The eunuchs refer to each other by family names; mother, aunt and sister, for example. When the guru dies, the senior disciple takes over.
A city is divided into zones where designated groups of eunuchs have the exclusive right to operate. Through a network of informants, from household servants to hospital workers, the eunuchs learn of upcoming births, weddings and celebrations.
They may be asked by a family to participate, but frequently they show up uninvited, singing and dancing in exchange for money, food or saris.
Now some eunuchs charge that fringe elements are trying to give eunuchs a bad name.
Each city has a panchayat or council of elders to resolve eunuch disputes.
Eunuchs often are seen in markets, harassing merchants and making obscene gestures in order to extort a few rupees. Newspapers here carry reports of eunuchs menacing newly married couples and those who have a new baby. While eunuchs say prostitution is frowned on, it is commonly thought to be a widespread source of extra income for them.
Unable to live normal lives, eunuchs say they are resigned to their plight as outcasts and stay to themselves. Rekha Grover, for example, shares a two-room hut in central Delhi with 12 other eunuchs and family members.
For five years, Rekha has lived with a man Rekha calls ``my husband.``
The couple adopted the infant son of a friend who died in childbirth.
``Sometimes, I feel like dying when we move down the street and people call us names,`` Rekha said. ``But there are compensations--our dance, our music and when we return to our homes--then it doesn`t matter who we are.`

Courtesy: October 29, 1986|By Sheila Tefft, Special to The Tribune. @ "http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-10-29/news/8603210378_1_eunuchs-castrated-gurus"