Sushant Divgikar aka Rani KoHEnur: Dignity as a Birthright, Not a Privilege
In a society quick to assign labels, Sushant Divgikar, celebrated as Rani KoHEnur, firmly rejects being confined to any single tag. As an artist, believer, and individual, Rani KoHEnur was never taught that respect is something to be earned as a special favor. "I have always been brought up with the idea that a life of dignity is your birthright," she revealed during her appearance on TOI Women. "My father taught me this. So I did not imagine or think that there was anything extra that they were doing by giving me respect," she added, highlighting the foundational values instilled by her family.
Why Rani KoHEnur Considers Herself Fortunate
Reflecting on media portrayals, Rani KoHEnur noted the historical lack of respect for transgender characters in films and on screen. "We have seen many times on screen or in films the characters of my community, or the writers and directors who write the characters from the LGBT community. So, on-screen, we have seen that a lot of the characters were not respected. They were made fun of. But now times have changed," she observed. She attributes her positive outlook to her upbringing, stating, "When we were growing up, my parents never differentiated between my brother and me. I was lucky in a way that I had such wonderful parents, a wonderful upbringing, and my privilege."
Growing up, she found inspiration not in screen characters but in her own family and activities. "I was a sports person. I was the sports captain of my school. I think that's where I developed my faith and my belief system, my value system," she shared. Addressing criticism, she added with resilience, "A lot of people have a problem with that. When you want to follow your faith, and you want to pray to the God that you want to pray to, people have issues. So I have realized that if people have issues, you just pass them a tissue and continue doing what you do. That's all. A queen has to be a queen, 24x7."
Privilege Does Not Eliminate Struggles
In the conversation, Rani KoHEnur openly acknowledged her privileged background but emphasized that it does not negate the challenges she has faced. "By saying that I come from a privileged background, it doesn't take away the struggles I faced. However, it is my journey, was my burden to bear, and I don't like anyone's interference," she explained. As a transgender person, she faces judgment daily but has learned to focus on productivity. "As a transgender person, as soon as you step out of your house, you want to be judged. But I think that now we have understood that there is a certain level of indifference that we have to build and say that we have many more important things to do rather than think about what people think of us," she said.
Asserting her contributions to society, she stated, "I am a productive member of society. I'm educated. I contribute to the social fabric and the cultural fabric of my nation, and I'm very proud of that. I represent my country not just once or twice. I've represented it multiple times in the past, and I will keep doing it." She called for normalization, pointing out common misconceptions. "So this is to all the people who look at a transgender person and think this is a transgender, not a man or a woman. This is a hijra, a trans, a kinner. She speaks English so well. So you get used to this. I think it should be normalized. It's very normal that we also have families. We also have careers, and we also pay taxes. We don't get any rebate for showing our transgender ID. We pay the same taxes, maybe more, because we work very hard and earn. And we live well," she elaborated.
Life's Challenges and Moments of Light
Highlighting universal struggles, Rani KoHEnur shared that life is unfair to everyone, regardless of identity. "You shed one tear, and people will be like, 'Oh my God, poor thing.' 'She must have gone through so much.' Yeah, but so have you. Life is not kind to anyone, and life is also going to throw all sorts of challenges. But also, there are happy moments. I take even that small ray of light and illuminate it even more. The magnanimity of it increases only because I reflect on it more," she expressed. Using a metaphor, she added, "It's like when you put a ray of sun, and then you put a mirror on it; it reflects so much more and helps so many more people. I feel that, according to me, it's a personal opinion. If you sit at home and sing a bhajan or do anything, people will still have problems. But it doesn't mean that I'll stop."
Her words, woven with confidence and resilience, create a powerful and inspiring voice that can brighten anyone's day in no time, offering a message of hope and strength for all.
