Engineer Quits US Job, Opens Studio To Empower Bengaluru Transwomen

All over the world, especially in countries like India, where everything needs to fall within the “normal” category which is accepted by society, there exists many stigmas. Out of the web of stigmas that society has made, the one that stands out the most and is extremely prominent is the stigma that surrounds the transgender community. 

Most of the members of the transgender community are either abandoned by their beloved families, or they aren’t even given a fair chance to pursue their schooling and live their dreams and are always turned down when they apply for mainstream jobs. The trans people have often been subjected to violence and discrimination, and are basically shunned from society only because they don’t fit inside the “normal” gender norms.

And the story of Diya, Sakthi, Vyga, and Rosa, four trans women from Bengaluru is no different. They were abused because of their identity, they heard taunts from their families, the people they grew up with refused to associate with them, all their career plans were stomped upon and these trans women were forced into prostitution. Yes, the horror these four must-have faced can never be imagined by people like us. But their horror came to a standstill after they landed themselves a secure, a comfortable job in a bridalwear studio in Bengaluru.

Story Of Samyukta Vijayan

Source: Instagram

The 34-year-old founder of a bridal boutique that houses high-end brands aims to emancipate transsexuals in India. And what threw more weightage in its foundation was that the founder, Samyukta herself is a trans woman.

“I come from an extremely conservative family from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. But even so, I am extremely fortunate that my parents are open-minded. For a child growing up in a rural Coimbatore home, deviating from the gender norms can be extremely risky. But that wasn’t the case in my home. I have two brothers-an elder and a younger and from a very young age, the difference between them and I was evident. I always knew I was a girl and I found expression through art and music. My parents never talked me out of it. If anything, they encouraged me strongly,” Samyukta was quoted saying to a leading online news portal.

Her family didn’t just encourage her to go ahead and continue learning dance and other forms of art. They also encouraged her to continue with her studies. And because her parents were very supportive of all the choices Samyukta made in her life, all that Samyukta had to worry about was to focus on her studies to become the engineer that she dreamt to become one day. She says that her parents backing her dream didn’t give any time for her to sit and worry about the social obstructions that a transgender faces. She’s always been recorded talking proudly about the open-mindedness of her parents that helped her through her school and college journeys.

The Atmosphere That Made Samyukta Go Through The Transition

Source: Instagram

After receiving her degree, Samyukta got a job and thus her journey with respect to career began. In the next few years that followed, she worked in Europe and the USA. She witnessed the different environment and privileges that diverse communities like hers experienced when compared to what she had witnessed in India.

“Especially in the USA, where I worked for two and a half years, I saw that everyone in my office was not only tolerant but also welcoming to gender fluidity, to identify and appreciate personal choices. It was this atmosphere that pushed me to undergo the transition. On Friday, I had entered the office as a man and by Monday, I had undergone my transition and entered as a woman. Everything was normal and the day went by as it always had,” Samyukta explains.

The Birth Of Toute Studio

Source: Instagram

Samyukta says that it was the privilege that she was gifted with — the acceptance by her close social circle and her family that made her realize that other transsexuals weren’t as blessed as her. This realization prompted her to set off on a journey to do something for the transgender community. Her interest in design and fashion persuaded her to call it quits with her well-paying job and open a boutique where she wanted to employ the trans women and allow them to make their lives better.

She opened the studio in November 2018.  She contacted a couple of NGOs through which she got the details of Rosa, Sakthi, Diya, and Vyga. She knew that these trans women had zero skill set which was required to make her boutique a success. This is why she took it upon herself to train them. She mentored two of them into designing, trained one in customer management, and the other one in photography. She also provided these four with accommodations that equipped them with the feeling of safety.

It’s only been seven months since the store opened its doors to customers and they have together already served a good number of happy customers. The studio specializes in wedding attire and also rents out jewelry and clothes. The brand is aiming at a pocket-friendly and very eco-conscious way of working.

What matters to us most here, is that because of Samyukta, four unhappy souls have found their happiness and are living a normal life now. Here’s wishing that there are many more people like Samyukta in our society who will help the transgender community in leading better lives.

The post Engineer Quits US Job, Opens Studio To Empower Bengaluru Transwomen appeared first on STYLECRAZE.

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