CHENNAI: “Reach for the skies, Villivakkam (vinnai thodum Villivakkam)”, is her campaign slogan. It could as well be her motto in life. Roshini S, 28, is the NTK candidate in the Chennai suburb of Villivakkam and the only transperson contesting the state assembly polls this year.“I was told the party was looking to field a transgender candidate, and I fit their requirements. Today, the people I meet as well as party cadres are convinced by the way I speak and connect with the public,” said Roshini, who joined NTK in Jan. Roshini, a social activist with an interest in environmental issues, is from Trichy. Asked how she ended up as the Villivakkam candidate, she said it was her party’s call. She had an interview with NTK supremo Seeman, where he asked her about her interests and what issues she would take up, after which he offered her the Villivakkam seat. Roshini has been a follower of Seeman for a decade. “We must ensure safety for our future generations, our land and our Tamil culture. I am trying to convey this to the people,” she said. “If I win this assembly election, the people of Villivakkam and I will make history by electing the first transwoman candidate.”Roshini begins her campaign at 9am and spends a couple of hours meeting people. But her main outreach is from 4.30pm till around 10pm, when she goes from door-to-door talking to people about her plans. She wants to identify school dropouts and set up tuition centres to help them, promote women’s entrepreneurial education, encourage forgotten Tamil cultural art forms, campaign against drug use, identify employment opportunities for youth and women, and take up environmental initiatives. Roshini says that she is seen as a sister by the public, rather than a transwoman. “I have barely seen two transgender persons in my constituency. I hope they will vote for me. But people here do not view me as a trans candidate, they see me as their sister,” she said. Roshini is contesting against Karthik Mohan of DMK, S R Vijayakumar of AIADMK, and Aadhav Arjuna of TVK. She is not the first transperson to contest assembly polls in TN.
