As India marks its 69th Independence Day, The Internet finds itself flooded with celebratory videos. Several are versions of the National Anthem but none are as powerful a reminder of what it means to be independent in India than this one.
Uploaded by Yathartha Pictures on YouTube, this is Jana Gana Mana sung by the third gender. Seven transgenders or hijras, as they are known in India, take centre stage to perform a goosebump-inducing, beautiful rendition of the National Anthem.
The message in this video goes beyond patriotism. It celebrates the Supreme Court’s landmark 2014 judgment which recognised transgenders as the third gender, assigning them their own identity and directing the government to provide them with quotas in jobs and education. The ruling allows transgenders to make their own choices of profession, helping many dreams come true.
The seven transgender participants in the video are all dressed in outfits or uniforms that signal the career choices they can now make – they can be doctors, chefs, police inspectors, lawyers. They can now be anything they want.
“The idea behind this video is to show that just like Indian men and women, Indian Hijras too have the right to choose an employment which fits their talent, skill and passion,” it says in the descriptor of the video.
Source….www.ndtv.com and http://www.youtube.com
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