Hello, I am Himanshi Parmar, student of MK Bhavnagar University. This blog i have written as a response to Thinking Activity, Which is a Part of my academic Work. Which we get after each unit. In this blog, i am going to present my own poem, written on a subject of Queer identity. Also i have written interpretation on it.
Title :- Identity
You see? Who am i?
Not male, not female either,
But a human being, just a human.
With no gender identity.
Though carrying equal ownership of the earth.
You all so-called male and female,
Can not neglect our ownership.
As well as our existence.
We are here, since you were.
You peek into the "Mahabharata",
Are you able to find "Shikhandi"?
You see what was "Ardhanarishvara"!
Who was "Brihannala"!
Our only ancestors.
We've been around since you were,
We breathe, we eat, we drink, we take care of our mother earth,
And the most auspicious thing is that we are living.
Just like you, but with no grudges,
No arrogance, no ego, no violence.
Bless all of you, your newborns.
Did we ask for anything in return?
Except for respect and acceptance!
Not from the law, but from society.
Now, forget it.
Ever since we understood reality,
We have stopped expecting social acceptance.
Society is nothing but a hub.
A big hub of bondage and yoke.
We are the children of the earth,
Accept you all,
So - called male and female,
As our beloved siblings.
We accept you all.
- Himanshi parmar. (MAAN)
Interpretation
First line i have taken from 'An Introduction' by Kamala Das. This poem is my own creative writing. The poem is based on crisis of Third Gender. The photo of rainbow is also representing third gender identity.
The poem is narrated by Third gender. In first stanza the person asking that You know who am i? By asking this question the person neglecting idea of man - Women identity, And considering itself as a human.and claim to have equal ownership of earth.
In second stanza, The person recalling history. Telling that our community is existing, since the so called man and women are existing. And gave examples of Shikhandi, Brihannala and Ardhanarishvara, they are the examplea of third gender.
In third stanza the person mentioning all the habits that human being require to survive like eat, drink, breath, live. By comparing this habits, the person trying to erase difference between men - Women and third gender.
In next stanza, the person talks about how their community blessing all new Borns, that is the ritual or belief that if third gender person bless newborns then it is good. Also the stanza talks that in return it's community asking for nothing in return and living without any grudge, ego, arrogance and violence. Just what they want is respect, not from law but from society.
In last stanza, the person stop expecting everything and considered a society as a hub of yoke and bondage. Satirizing men and women by accepting them as their dear siblings. Even if women and men not accept them as human. They accept them as their siblings.
At last, In the era when we are far forward in education and technology, and became cultured human beings, still we are not accepting minority or Third gender. Still their are fighting for their identity and rights even if they got acceptance from law. Watch this news clip here,
Also this video is talking about suffering of third gender community. And their problems in society as a minority.
