From Isa Gul To Sanam Faqeer (Fakir)-- A Courageous Eunuch

This is the tragedic story of Isa Gul alias (+)Sanam Faqeer who took birth on April 10, 1975 in the home of religious scholar and Imam of mosque Haji Saad Muhammad Shah., He was acepted as son, but as he grew, he was the target of jokes. Brothers were ashamed of her/him. She said her parents were kind to him but the people in the streets used too cut jokes of him. Father taught her Quran Hakeem and got angry when my own brothers hated me, she recalls her choldhood memories. She was memorizing Quran Hakeem by heart when her father died in 1994, and her Quran learning schedule got disturbed, So she could memorize Quran up to one thirrd. Her brothers did not take her with them to market and bazaars because they were ashemed of her. She could not think at first what is she deficiant in. When she was grown up she came to know that that she was neither female nor male but a sex in between or intersex called transgender or eunuch (Heejra). So she felt that she was not a normal human being like others. Sanam Faqeer says wehen her mother died she had no place in home so she stepped out and strted working on hotels where she could earn Rs 30 pe day. But people teased her and the hotel owner fired her saying that his business was suffereing due to her. She said "I had no place in the whole world". Neither transger community recognized her nor the world. Afterall she did not loose heart and started struggling for the eunuch community. She started working for the welfare of transgender comminity and for the welfare of common people. She established "sanam Fakir Welfare Association" in 2002. She has been working for the welfare of the community for the last ten years. Her association also helped the flood affectees. Recognizing her services Government of Sind appointed her "Focal Person" in October 2009. She highlighted the problems of her community efficiently. She is also thnkful to the Apex court due to court's verdict the situation is getting better in favor of her community. She is working for her 200 members of her community in district Sukkur. She said her association has established a computer lab where her comminity members get computer literacy and general education. She said Iftekhar Muhammad Chaudhary gave us identity and she said our many members got passports and national identity cards. Bainazir Bhutto is her idle and favorite personalty.