Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): From begging on the road in a group of eunuchs to conquering Himalayan summits, life for transgender woman Saurav Kittu Tank has always been thorny. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she lost her vision, yet she could see through her mind’s eye and partially got her sight back through sheer willpower. "Next is Mount Kilimanjaro," she Kittu, who is also country’s first trans wrestler.
At the age of 14, she ran away from home several times. When she turned 18, she went to a ‘KinnarAkhada’, and became India’s first trans wrestler. But it was just the beginning; one day she knocked on the door of Madhya Pradesh’s mountaineer Megha Parmar, and her life changed. Parmar not only gave Kittu a life, she taught her that "a trans person can do much more than just beg on roads". She took care of everything, from Kittu’s schooling to her mountaineering expenses and courses.
Kittu hails from Chandigarh, but her family didn’t accept her. Then she ran away from her house. She used to stay with a group of eunuchs, used to beg on roads, and ask for Badhaai like many eunuchs do in India. But Kittu wasn’t happy with her life. Then, she contacted Megha Parmar on Facebook. After that, Kittu spent two years in Bhopal at Parmar’s home and trained to be a mountaineer. When things started going in the right direction for Kittu, she lost her eyesight during Covid but got it partially back after many months. But with eye sight, Kittu got her family back, who accepted her. Her parents work as ragpickers. "I didn’t just learn mountaineering here; I learned a way of life in Bhopal," Kittu told the Free Press.When asked about the difficulties Kittu faced during her mountaineering journey, she said, "People are afraid to accept a trans person leading a normal life."
People bullied me in school
Kittu said, “When I was in school here, I had no idea which toilet I should use. Once I went to the male one, and their school boys bullied me. Security guards used to stop me at the gate, they used to say you’re not allowed here.” Kittu spoke with a lump in her voice. Despite all odds, Kittu scaled many high peaks in the world. She also did an expedition on Mount Everest. But she couldn’t reach the peak due to bad weather. Like a cuckoo, she always looks up to the sky and chants, "I am not born different, I am born to do something different."
