Social Prejudice and Transgender Identity in Manobi Bandyopadhyay’s A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi: A Critical Study

Abstract

This study examines how gender and sexuality are represented in discourse. It also highlights the basic rights every individual deserves the freedom to love, the right to live without discrimination, the right to dignity regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, and the right to life. The discussion is based on the transgender autobiography A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi (2017) by Manobi Bandyopadhyay, which powerfully exposes the struggles and resilience of India’s first transgender principal. The book tells the story of Bandyopadhyay’s struggles, strength, and success as she moves from being treated as a “hijra” to becoming India’s first transgender college principal. It also shows the harsh mistreatment she faced from colleagues and society, where prejudice often reduced her professional identity to her gender identity. Despite her academic and administrative achievements, society often treated her success as an exception rather than genuine recognition of merit. Her story reveals the deep stigma faced by transgender individuals while also showing how education and self-empowerment can challenge marginalization, which is central to this study. This study investigates Bandyopadhyay’s life to show how transgender individuals still struggle to claim their rights and identities in a society dominated by heteronormative values. Her story serves as both a personal testimony and a social critique, reminding us that true equality can only be achieved when dignity, acceptance, and justice are extended to all, regardless of gender identity. It urges society to move beyond prejudice and see transgender individuals as equal participants in education, work, and public life. Her journey stands as a call for change, showing that acceptance and respect are essential for real social progress.