Paper Title
Sagas Of Stigma, Shame And Social Exclusion Of Hijras In India

Abstract
Hijra (Transgender) Community in India is the most backward community which is rejected and socially excluded from participation in any social activity. It is forced to live on the fringes of Indian society. They are rejected, ridiculed, hooted and jeered at wherever they go and any relation with them is seen as taboo. They live on the margins of Indian society and earn their livelihood by chuckling “badhai” (blessing) songs on ceremonial occasions and occasionally engage in sex. Their everyday experience is filled with Stigma, shame and harassment leading to a strong rejection of their identity which further makes them extremely vulnerable to violence, sexual assault, molestation and rape. The present paper attempts to study the life, culture, desire, trauma and pain of transgender exclusion at the hands of dominant culture as well as their silence in expressing themselves through two hijra autobiographies The Truth about Me by A Revathi and Me Hijra, Me Luxmi by Laxmi Narayan Tripathi. Index Items - Castration, Culture, Exclusion, Hijra.