MLC

Twenty-one-year-old Anvesa Panda shares her transition story and her journey so far

“All through my childhood, I was fascinated by my mother’s saris. I really wanted to wear them and see how it felt. One day, when my parents were out of town, I got a golden opportunity. I was in class 7th back then. I wore those beautiful saris, continued my daily work, and truly felt comfortable. When I was in class 11th, I realised and accepted my true gender identity and realised that I wasn’t comfortable in a boy’s body. I had the soul of a girl trapped inside the body of a boy. I continued wearing saris occasionally to experience the magic of being a woman. One day, my parents caught me and had the worst possible reaction. They asked me to leave the house. 

I struggled a lot. I still am struggling. I have taken up work as a private tutor to support myself, and I am saving up to do hormonal therapy.

As someone who has completely accepted herself, I really do love myself so much right now, plus I am independent, which I absolutely adore. I don’t have a lot of support–but I am my biggest supporter, so it works out just fine. I feel that people need to change their narrow mindsets. A lot of people cannot embrace their true identities as they don’t find enough support around them and hence fail to gather the courage. We need to accept everyone. I am happy talking about and explaining my journey to others if that means that they’ll understand and accept people like me. 

My message to people struggling with their gender identities is simple: don’t be afraid of society because society does nothing to help you in any way. At the end of the day, it’s all you.”