‘Soldier for
Women’ campaign made me realize how fortunate I am to be surrounded by so many gentlemen
who are genuinely interested in my well being. This is another tribute to a
great friend of mine: Mr. Premkumar. Now, this is not just a post on how he is
a soldier for me but for many others too.
Prem is my
intellectual feeder. The person behind my blogging. A great support for my
literary interests. But that’s not why I call him a soldier. He is a soldier in
the real sense. A person trying to be the catalyst of change.
The book ‘I
have a dream’ by Rashmi Bansal inspired me a lot and I planned to start an
initiative for transgenders. It was a sensitive area and I knew I can’t really
get a lot of hands together. Over dinner I happened to discuss my ideas with
Prem and he immediately jumped in to my plan. He refined our plans on
approaching them and how to take it forward.
There were
days when we hunted for information, then interviews with various transgenders.
He always treated them as equals with utmost respect. That is how a real man
behaves. During an interview, Rosy, a transgender broke down and sobbed her
heart out. When I was trying to gather myself, Prem was quick enough to gather
and console her. Not just console but give her some practical solutions. Everybody
deserves to be treated equal. You don’t do a favor by treating someone equal. It’s
the way of life. But still I feel it is worth mentioning here because many at
times we don’t consider transgenders as equals. Forget considering them as
women, we hardly pay attention to them even as humans.
When we say
women, I strongly believe that it also includes those who feel and consider
themselves as woman. But a soldier for a transgender is a far cry. The kinds of problems
they face are far worse than imagination. Their life is a vicious cycle and
seldom do they get out of it. They don’t need our sympathy. They need
opportunities and they very much deserve it like you and me.
Prem has
bigger dreams for these people and we sincerely wish it comes true one day. Men
like Prem are really a rare kind. Mind me; I don’t say one of a kind but rare kind. He is my soldier with liberating
thoughts and intellectual inputs facilitating my empowerment. He is Rosy’s
soldier fighting the world with her for her opportunities. Or rather, guiding
her in her battle with better tactics.
I salute
Prem, the soldier! Readers can know more about Prem from his blog : http://blog.smileprem.com/
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