A humble teashop at Dhaka University's (DU) Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) has become a symbolic journey towards autonomy and reinvention for Priya Khan, the first transgender woman to helm a tea stall on the campus.
Her stall is among the 11, which received permission from the authorities to continue operation within the TSC premises, following a recent drive to banish unauthorised vendors from the campus.
Often crowded with customers, the stall has become quite popular, leaving her barely with a moment to sit idly.
Similar to other tea stalls in the area, her menu offers different flavours of teas, including lemon tea, malta tea, and maltova tea. She also introduces new flavours, such as coffee tea, spiced tea, and tamarind tea, which some of the customers believe transcend the ordinary.
Her shop also sells a diverse array of cakes, biscuits, breads and bananas, making it a popular choice to buy snacks from among a broad range of customers.
Operating from 7 am to 10 pm, Priya pours not just tea but her heart into every interaction with her customers, the FE has found during a visit. She has integrated herself into the social fabric of TSC, engaging in meaningful conversations with students, becoming a cherished part of their daily leisure.
However, her journey towards economic empowerment is not a solitary one. She has helped another transgender woman, Nodi, offering her employment and a sense of purpose, who previously earned her livelihood through begging. A young boy, Sakib, assists them in running the stall.
Before she established her tea stall, Priya had to rely on donations at TSC. She said she has been resolutely striving to carve out a life of self-sufficiency since 2016, when she started sustaining herself through dance and music performances. It had earned her the title of "the Baiya of Old Dhaka".
However, as public interest in her art form waned, she found herself driven to collecting donations as the last resort and had been involved in it since 2020.
Priya's roots trace back to Savar, though she was raised in Tangail. Her journey to Dhaka began some 24 years ago, when she sought to support herself through performance art. Yet, with time, opportunities dried up, leaving her to be dependent on public donations while navigating the hardships of the streets.
A defining moment in Priya's life came during the July-August mass movement, when she and four of her disciples volunteered to treat the injured at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
"Words cannot capture the horrors of that time. It felt like a relentless march towards death. Pregnant women, infants -- none were spared," Priya remarked looking back on the period, which she describes as harrowing.
When asked to share her thoughts about Bangladesh's transgender community, Priya said, "We will no longer languish as a marginalised group. We will stand tall, shoulder to shoulder with everyone else, and contribute to building a better future."
Yet, even with her strides towards empowerment, Priya is not immune to societal cruelty. She candidly admits, "I still face bullying, and all I wish for is to be free from its grasp."
Her resilience has not gone unnoticed, as the students who have witnessed Priya's transformation have expressed a deep sense of admiration about her.
"We've known Priya for years, and her journey towards self-reliance is truly inspiring. We hope that every person, regardless of his or her gender identity, can live with dignity, find meaningful employment, and claim a rightful place in society," said one of the students who was a customer of her tea stall.
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