This Women’s Day, celebrate the 'woman' in you

“Other women had the privilege of being born as a woman, but for me, it is different because I wasn’t born as one,” said Shilok Mukkati, a queer artist.

The word ‘womanhood’ means something very different to Shilok Mukkati, who was born as a man 24 years ago but became a woman two years ago. “Well, even though I was born as a man, I always felt like a woman,” she said.

Shilok, who hails from Coorg, has broken the shackles of society to become what she always wanted to. Growing up, she always dreamt to be like the other girls in her school but felt trapped in the body of a man. “Initially when I started dressing up as a girl, I used to get bullied," she said.

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“When I finally started earning for myself, I decided to become a woman. It was a big risk, but I was ready to take it without the support of my family,” she said reminiscing about her past days.

She had a sex-change operation two years ago, and since then there has been no looking back for her.

Shilok, as she likes to call herself, thinks that the word ‘transgender’ is used as tokenism by many.

“I had gone for a talk to this literature festival. There were others who were also supposed to speak at the event. They had tags like ‘poet’, ‘writer’, but only my tag said ‘transgender’. I want to be invited to events for my skills rather than my gender.”

Shilok Mukkati. Credit: Instagram/@shilokmukkati

"In India, there is no distinction between a trans man and a trans woman, both are defined as transgenders. We're living in the 21st century where women are still fighting for their rights. From demanding voting rights to equal opportunities at the workplace, are we forgetting to acknowledge the rights of those who identify themselves as a woman?"

Transgenders have fought their own battle, and they are still fighting it separately. “For someone who has come so far and is still struggling, there is not a single day when I light the candle in my house and don't thank god for giving me the strength to go against the 'norms’ of the society,” Shilok said proudly. “So I celebrate my womanhood every day.”

She and so many others like her have questioned the definition of a true woman. On International Women's Day, let me ask you this, Who is a woman?