Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu): Meet S. Deepthi, a 21-year-old transgender woman from Koundampalayam, who broke the boundaries to become the first transgender to be recruited in Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
Deepthi’s father Subramaniam, a forest guard in Coimbatore died in a road accident in 2007 when she was 7-year-old and her brother was 11.
It was only after attaining 18 years that Deepthi realised that she's a female.
Deepthi, who held a B.Com degree in accountancy got the job of a junior assistant at the district forest office, Nilgiris division, on compassionate grounds, after a tough trial of over five years.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Deepthi said that she wanted to pursue chartered accountancy, but later she changed her desire since her mother wanted her to continue her father's job in the forest department.
Deepthi said that her friends Ammu and Abhinaya – who are also transgenders – supported her mentally and financially.
Initially her mother was very upset with Deepthi's decision to become a female and did not speak to her for over one and a half years. It was during those critical years that she got acquainted with Ammu and Abhinaya. They not only insisted that she completes her studies first but also took good care of her family.
Deepthi looked up to Ammu and Abhinaya as they motivated her since the initial days when she started experiencing biological changes in her body.
As a junior assistant at the district forest office, Deepthi is now a competent professional, doing her assigned duties to the satisfaction of her seniors and expecting a double promotion within the next five years.
Deepthi hopes the day is not far when transgenders will compete with other males and females in society and leave a mark in the society.
She expects the government will take steps to improve the conditions of the transgender community by understanding their grievances.
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