Natasha, the de facto leader of the group, took me to the apartment she shares with six other transgender people in Mata Ki Chowki, a predominantly Hindu colony in nearby Mahipalpur. The dimly lit ground floor apartment has two rooms cramped with furniture, a small kitchen and a hall with unpainted walls. It is a congregation place for transgender people living in the area—the place where religion takes a backseat and gender identity is expressed through Bollywood songs and in-jokes about heterosexual people. “He is my new boyfriend,” said 28-year-old Natasha jokingly as she introduced me to her two roommates, her “daughter” and “granddaughter” according to the traditional hierarchies in their commune. On the stove is fish curry, which is served to me and others in the house.