Dr. Aminul Islam
Published:2021-01-07 18:38:25 BdST
ডা. প্রিয়া : প্রথম ট্রান্স জেন্ডার চিকিৎসক : এক সুকঠিন লড়াইয়ের কাহিনি
ডেস্ক
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ডা ভিএস প্রিয়া সবাইকে চমকে দিয়ে প্রথম ট্রান্স জেন্ডার চিকিৎসক হিসেবে নিজের প্রতিষ্ঠা অর্জন করলেন বিশ্বের দরবারে।
এজন্য এক সুকঠিন লড়াই তিনি একাই লড়ে গেছেন। কিন্তু হারেন নি। সব কষ্ট সহ্য করে গেছেন নীরবে।
তিনি জিতেছেন এমন এক অসামান্য অসাধারণ জয়, যেখানে তাঁর কাছে হেরে গেছে বৈরী পৃথিবী, নষ্ট কুৎসিত বিকৃত সমাজ। তাঁর কাছে হেরে গেছে নষ্ট বিকৃত মানুষ বিরোধী সব ধর্মীয় কুসংস্কার।
তিনি জিতেছেন মানুষ হিসেবে। জিতিয়েছেন মানুষ পরিচয়কে।
কেরালার এই ট্রান্স জেন্ডার মানুষ এখন বিশ্বজয়ী। বিশ্বের বিস্ময়। চিকিৎসা বিদ্যায় তিনি ব্যাচেলর ডিগ্রি অর্জন করে এমডি করেছেন।
মিডিয়ায় তিনি বলেন,
"I am really happy to find myself. Actually, I'm celebrating womanhood. I have successfully overcome the physical and mental disparity within myself. Support from my family helped me achieve this. So, I am not bothered about other issues," said Dr VS Priya, the first transgender doctor in Kerala.
Born as a boy named Jinu Sasidharan, Priya identified the girl in herself during childhood. But she was embarrassed to reveal it.
"I realized that it will be difficult for me to live as a boy. So, I started to research on how to handle the crisis. At first, I planned to get a better education. Ignoring all negative comments, I completed BAMS from Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda college with good marks. Later, I took MD from Mangaluru. While serving in Pattambi, Kannur and Thripunithura, I was preparing myself for the transformation. I started hormone treatment when I joined Sitaram hospital at Thrissur. Following the treatment, I underwent surgery a few months ago," Dr Priya explained her journey from a man to woman.
Though surgery is completed, Priya needs to take many treatment including voice therapy.
"I believe life is precious. So, I don't need a mask to hide my identity. I'm not bothered about my future. Because I'm only thinking about my present. I'm not interested to spoil my life being named in any column," said Dr Priya.
নিউ ইন্ডিয়ান এক্সপ্রেস পত্রিকা লিখেছে, : Oscar-nominated Canadian actor Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page, recently came out as a trans person. “The truth is, despite feeling profoundly happy right now, and knowing how much privilege I carry, I’m scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the “jokes” and the violence,” he wrote on Twitter.It is true that those struggling with gender dysphoria find it hard to escape the stigma associated with being a gender minority — especially in a society filled with people who attempt to ‘normalise’ the difference. For Dr Priya V S from Thrissur, the first transgender ayurvedic doctor from Kerala, it has been a similar battle, fighting all odds.
“Like most trans persons, I had a frustrating childhood too. There was a strange sense of being trapped in the wrong body. The unyielding attempts to satiate the needs of feminine consciousness tormented the early years of my life,” she says. “My inner turmoil got intensified by the time I was a teenager. I began jotting down my pent-up feelings in my diary. When facial hair began to appear, I started plucking it out enduring much pain. All the peculiar behaviour confused my parents and they took me to a psychiatrist. Fortunately, the doctor said I’m a ‘normal’ person. Later, I learnt that I’m not supposed to fight society and its notions which I can’t change, lest I invite bullying,” she recalls.
Priya also had to battle her own demons in the meantime — a fight that required immense patience. I was entirely a woman from inside and couldn’t even imagine leaving my family and being on my own,” says Priya. By the time she reached Class X, she began to control her mannerisms to avoid getting herself painted into the corner and focused on studies more. “Later, I studied at Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda College, Ollur, Thrissur, and did MD in Mangaluru. The decision to pursue MD was also intended to avoid the family’s questions on marriage. At some point, I had to lie to my family that I’m a homosexual, since I feared disclosing my identity as a transgender. During those years, I excelled at pretending to be a man,” quips Priya.
She admits that hiding her true identity was torturous. “Finally, I had to blow the lid off in 2018. Vanquishing the dormant male ego was a herculean task and I even experienced a panic attack after starting hormonal treatment. My family’s support throughout this journey is worth mentioning. If parents find that their kids do not conform to the boundaries of heteronormativity, they should be careful enough to support them instead of blaming them,” she says.
She feels if someone happens to identify themselves as a trans person, they should get ready for a gradual and systematic change. Rather than renouncing everything on the spur of the moment, it would be wise to pursue studies, thereby getting equipped with a means for survival, she observes.
“During these days, I’m enjoying the ultimate reward for this planned change: I’m celebrating womanhood. I’m also aware of my responsibility towards society as a transwoman doctor,” Priya says. She is presently working at Sitaram Ayurveda Hospital, Thrissur. Dr Priya, who was formerly Dr Jinu Sasidharan, also has expertise in academics with experience at Government Ayurveda Medical College, Tripunithura, and Government Ayurveda College, Kannur.
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