Meet Nitasha Biswas, India's first transgender beauty contest winner

Nitasha Biswas opened up about her journey to becoming India's first transgender beauty pageant winner.

Since childhood, Nitasha Biswas, winner of the first beauty pageant for transgenders in the country, knew she was different than the others. Whether it was at home or in school, Nitasha recalled being asked to do things boys were made to do that she had no interest in. In school, she would lock herself in the bathroom when she was forced to play football on the field. Even bullying added to her adversities.

Born as Suvanko to a Kolkata family, Nitasha lost her mother at the age of 6. "It was difficult to discuss and even make my brother or my father understand what I was going through," Nitasha said.

But the first time she spoke about her feelings to her brother, he dismissed them. “No, this is wrong,” was her father’s response to opening up about herself. “He couldn’t accept it,” she said.

After a tumultuous childhood, Nitasha finally changed her "identity" when she came to Delhi. However, the transformation phase was complex. When the treatment began, Nitasha said that it was difficult. “It’s not an overnight process,” she said.

In fact, it is even difficult to cope with people around her. "For them to accept you as someone now and someone else earlier is hard," Nitasha added.

At work, Nitasha faced discrimination in the office. She recalled going to a party with a group of friends, who didn’t know who she was earlier. But they ended up treating her differently when they finally learnt she was a trans woman.

Nitasha recounted the first time she went home after her transformation when her father was ill.