

Manabi Bandyopadhyay, who scripted history almost a year ago, when she became India's first transgender college principal, is in no mood to accept patriarchal definition of beauty foisted on women. Born Somnath in Nadia, West Bengal, Manabi underwent a sex-change operation in 2003.



"I feel the word, 'beauty', is very masculine. In this country, we tend to define beauty by a person's gender. If a woman cuts her hair really short, it becomes 'boy-cut' hair. But if a guy has long hair, it is never called a 'girl cut'!" smiles Manabi, who loves to dress up in saris. "We grow up following so many wrong concepts... I have come across several educated people who believe that anyone who belongs to third gender is a eunuch! I cannot change this system, so I have decided to become immune to this. For me even a sex worker or a eunuch can be really beautiful... After all, we humans are the most beautiful race on this planet!"



She adds that it's time people stop going by the norms Kalidasa set for his heroines while we define beauty. In her eyes, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and actor Vidya Balan are two of the most beautiful women in India at the moment. "I think Mamata Banerjee is a very beautiful woman, because she lives life on her own terms. So does Vidya Balan. I respect both of them," she says.

Next Story : Jyotsna Kini introduces mom-and-baby concept getaway