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Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
Camera: Shiv Kumar Maurya
(This story was first published on 6 April 2021. It has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Pride Month.)
Aqsa Shaikh wears many hats. She is a doctor, professor and a COVID-19 warrior. She is also leading the vaccination centre in Delhi’s Jamia Hamdard Hospital – making her the only transgender doctor in all of India to hold the role.
Dr Shaikh is an inspiration to all – but her journey was anything but easy.
Born a boy in a modest Mumbai family, Dr Shaikh knew she was ‘different’ when she was three-four years old.
She was a third-year medical student when an endocrinologist first had a conversation about her identity and put a name to it. But this came as a shock to her family.
On completing her undergraduate course, she moved from Mumbai to Delhi to undergo transition.
She described that there was a point when everyone would stare at her, and even her mother was uncomfortable to go out for dinner with her.
“Everyone would say, this person does not look like a male does not look like a female. Who are they? Why are they like this? And that was a struggle which lasted for one and a half years,” the professor recalled.
When she was given the responsibility of leading the COVID-19 vaccination centre, Dr Shaikh knew that this would be a high pressure job. But her favourite part is to interact with people – especially senior citizens.
“For them, there is a lot of anxiety involved – to go to a hospital and get the vaccine. And they really like if someone says a hello, or ask them how was their experience, if they found any difficulties, just some small talk and that can really brighten up their day,” she added.
Dr Shaikh admitted that while she has been in a privileged position as a doctor, there are still some hush-hush talks, comments and giggles that make her uncomfortable. But she believes transgender visibility is the only way to break this.
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Published: 05 Apr 2021,06:12 PM IST