To make the transgender community in Tamil Nadus Tiruchirapalli self-reliant and help them earn a decent living, the National Banana Research Center (NRCB), working under the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), organized a two-day training program.
According to The Hindu, up to eight members of the community were educated about the opportunities that are offered to them in the field of agricultural entrepreneurship by realizing the potential of the banana, which is a widely used fruit in the area. The program that included the training was part of the NRCB’s mission to “achieve the unattainable”.
The publication also reported that the program was funded by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). It is the central body for providing credit funding for agricultural and small business development in the country.
Kajol, president of the SAFE (Social Action For Emancipation) group, reportedly attended the meeting along with the eight members of the community. Your organization is committed to uplifting the transgender community.
The training was started via video conference by Anand Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General for Horticultural Science, ICAR. He explained the scope of opportunities available to attendees as entrepreneurs and emphasized the importance of branding and promoting the opportunities nationwide and supporting these initiatives.
BK Pandey, deputy director general of ICAR, briefed on the available government regulations, including the establishment of cold stores and supply chain management, which could help to drastically reduce the financial burden.
S. Uma, the director of the NRCB, said this was a unique initiative by the center to economically empower transgender people through banana cultivation and use.
She added that the training would give them ideas on how to explore business options for various banana-based products. She said the organization would run more training programs for the community and also offer incubation opportunities for the interested trainees.
The NRCB scientists reportedly provided hands-on training to participants on how to prepare banana blossom cucumber, central stem juice, low-fat banana chips, growing ornamental bananas and propagating traditional varieties of bananas through macro-propagation.
The meeting briefed them on the process of raising funds for sustainable business projects in order to raise funds from potential investors and the process of running the business.
Kajol has an advanced secondary school degree and diploma when a beautician suggested expanding the initiative for the benefit of the transgender community across the country.
Transform life
The transgender community was prejudiced and resorted to practices such as street begging, train stations and dancing at parties to make a living. In society, however, increasing numbers of community individuals have refused to adhere to the standards and have made the choice to change their lives.
People from the transgender community have adopted the unconventional career paths not only to break the stereotype, but also to empower the community.
Education and suitable employment opportunities have been the main factors that helped the transgender community break the stereotype and live honorably.
Trans woman becomes entrepreneur
The Trans woman from Bihar, 27, turned entrepreneur, made headlines when she started her own coffee shop.
Urooz Hussain set up her café called “Street Temptation” in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida in sector 119. She described the idea behind the cafe and said she should inspire members of her community to work towards living in dignity.
Urooz said she had experienced workplace harassment that led her to start her own business to promote a culture of equality.
Speaking to ANI, the entrepreneur said: “I have been harassed at my workplaces and have decided to open my own café where everyone is treated equally. I hope this will inspire others in my community.”
“I was born a ‘normal’ child, a boy, but later I realized that even though I have a male body, my feelings are like a girl, which led me to ask about my identity as a teenager. I saw I faced many difficulties in overcoming this situation. My male relatives often bullied me. My father is strict, he had created a limit within which I had to behave as a boy. That was not okay with me. I used to work with dolls I was young, had more to do with girls than boys, so I left my hometown in 2013 and moved to Delhi to begin my transition as a trans woman, “Hussain said in a video interview with The Quint.
“People always think that all transgender people are just begging, gossiping and sex workers. But that is far from the truth,” she said.
Also Read: The Home Office Asks States To Protect And Rehabilitate UTs, Transgender People
