'Made in Heaven' star Trinetra: Transgenders' survival is contingent on being understood

Mumbai -
Actress, doctor and transgender activist Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju said that her community’s survival is contingent on being understood.

Trinetra, who made her acting debut by playing the role of a transgender in Made in Heaven season 2, made the statement at India Today Conclave Mumbai 2023 on October 5. In a session titled ‘Queer Lives Matter: Trinetra, Not Made In Heaven’, she opened up on her journey, the challenges she faced and how she hopes for her community to thrive and not just survive.

“When I was 4-5 years old, I didn’t have the language to understand who I was. When I finally found it, I had to explain myself - on stages like this, at home and educational institutions – over and over again who I was, and what being transgender meant,” Trinetra said.

“I always felt that I just wasn’t a boy. I think I realised over time that for our community, our survival is contingent on being understood,” she added.

Clad in a saree, Trinetra took the audience through her journey and shared how “chronic oversharing” on social media helped her land a role in Made in Heaven season 2. "Chronic oversharing was not a choice, it just happened," she said.

Trinetra is a doctor turned actor and transgender activist. She is also a content creator and uses the social media platform to raise awareness about issues revolving around the realms of gender, sexuality and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Trinetra, who is also popular by her Instagram username @trinitrin, documented her transition journey on social media, while also educating her audience on gender issues.

She also recounted an incident from her internship days at a hospital where she came across a patient dressed in “slightly boyish clothes” and with “short hair, and a bit of facial beard” who had overdosed on sleeping pills at a female ward.

“When I looked at that patient, I knew that face all too well. I had been there in high school; I knew what it was like to not know why you are feeling so uncomfortable in your own skin. The first thing I said to that patient was: ‘’Your file says female. Do you want me to refer to you say something else.’ And, their face completely changed,” Trinetra said.

She added that the patient told her that she was the first doctor who had asked them that question. “I don’t think people realise that the risk of suicide for an Indian transgender person is nearly 50 percent,” she said while emphasising that a trans person’s survival depends on being understood.

Trinetra also shared how she once had her heart broken by someone who treated her as a human, didn’t harass her, but was probably ashamed to spend time with her in public. “All of that education and acceptance at home didn’t protect me from this. But it taught me something very important: ‘You need to have a sense of self-worth. And it needs to come from within. It cannot come from anywhere else.’

Trinetra, who said that she didn't grow up seeing transgender people on billboards, said that she received immense love from the queer community and many parents for playing the role of Meher in 'Made in Heaven 2'. When asked if she would continue to do acting projects, without revealing much, she said "good things are happening".

She also revealed that she chose the name 'Trinetra' for herself. "It is another name for Durga," she said.