Hijras

A simple advice,the more troubled/embarrased/easily irritable you look,higher are the chances that you would be targeted by the Hijdas. Keep it simple,don't be bothered and don't answer any questions.. Its not as simple as it sounds as they are out to make money off of you. The ones who look like drag queens are just males in a females attire and not the real hijdas, usually travel in a group of 3-4 and are drunk/high most of the times. They do tend to get violent sometimes as well but are shy of any authority [read Cops,Railway police]. The real ones are the ones who could argue endlessly with the cops and cops tend to look the other way.

I was recently in Jaisalmer and was approached by what I thought was a Hijra. Obviously "masculine" features dressed in full sari, makeup, jewelry, etc. But carrying a milk pail. I asked a local man standing nearby if this was a Hijra. He replied that - no, this was a local fellow who dresses in a different role each day (usually female) and acts the role as he goes from house-to-house for money. That day, he was playimg some sort of "milk maid". The bystander informed me that the "actor" adoptes the mannerisms, language, etc, of the character he is portraying and that he is "very famous". Later, I asked a second person and was told essentially the same thing.

Has anyone else encountered this? Thanks.

I came across one such person in a village in MP. He used to don different clothes and go door to door asking for alms. he would also do stand-up acts of short duration lasting 10-15 mins after which our village elders or whoever the eldest around was would pay him some money and also food or vegetables or whatever he requested and was available. His types were called 'Bhand' if i am not mistaken. Haven't seen one of those in years.

This is called the Bahurupiya. This is a art which is moving towards extinction. I am bad at history but in the times of no TV, radio etc there were these guys who would dress up like someone and behave like the character they have dressed up in.
Try googling it!

I recollect standing at a shop and a cop came up to the counter. The owner gave a few coins and the cop left. I was amazed and was wondering how come the cop left with such meagre amount of money for whatever reason it was. The shopkeeper updated me he was not a real cop but a bahurupiya.


Had a story in my school textbook which had a reference that a bahurupiya dressed as a cow actually moved part of the skin where he was hit by a pebble. Now thats being in charachter

Yes, correctly said!

The reason of extinction (like stage art) of bahurupiya art is also increasing numbers of TVs and people get all the entertainment through that and they do not have time for such things.