CHENNAI: For Sanjana, biryani has been a blessing in disguise. The transsexual, who was into prostitution and begging for more than 15 years, mastered the art of making the dish, which helped her bag a job as a cooking master at Chennai Trans Kitchen, the first transsexual-only restaurant in Chennai, the third of its kind in Tamil Nadu.
“I lived on the streets in Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Those 15 years were horrible but it was the only way I could make a living,” says Sanjana. “I thought there was no way out until I met Jeeva akka, the proprietor of Chennai Trans Kitchen. She trained me to be a cooking master. It’s a whole new life for me.”
Sanjana was one of ten transsexuals with more or less similar backgrounds, who were trained and employed by Jeeva. She enrolled all of them in a private catering institute to be trained in the restaurant business. “That’s when I had the brainwave of opening a restaurant,” says Jeeva. The restaurant was inaugurated in Kolathur on Wednesday.
“I completed class XII and had no clue what to pursue,” says Dhaya, one of the transsexuals working with Jeeva. “When I heard about what Jeeva was doing, I approached her. She sent me for training and then employed me in her restaurant. If not for Jeeva akka I don’t know where I would have landed up.”
S Jeya Ganesh, state director, Swasti, an NGO working closely with transsexuals for close to 15 years, believes that such restaurants will change the perception of people about the community. “This will pave the way for more employment and better livelihood for transsexuals.”
Source: https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiggFodHRwczovL3RpbWVzb2ZpbmRpYS5pbmRpYXRpbWVzLmNvbS9jaXR5L2NoZW5uYWkvZmlyc3QtdHJhbnMta2l0Y2hlbi1vcGVucy1pbi1jaGVubmFpLXRoaXJkLWluLXRhbWlsLW5hZHUvYXJ0aWNsZXNob3cvOTcxMTQ0MzcuY21z0gF9aHR0cHM6Ly9tLnRpbWVzb2ZpbmRpYS5jb20vY2l0eS9jaGVubmFpL2ZpcnN0LXRyYW5zLWtpdGNoZW4tb3BlbnMtaW4tY2hlbm5haS10aGlyZC1pbi10YW1pbC1uYWR1L2FtcF9hcnRpY2xlc2hvdy85NzExNDQzNy5jbXM?oc=5
