"As a student, I didn’t have a choice. I would fill all my forms as Gopal Kumar, my birth name, under the male category. Then came the Apex Court directive in 2014 which gave due recognition to gender change under a third gender. I decided to change my name to Monika in all the documents I had.

I am a postgraduate in Law and have been working for a commercial bank since 2007. None of these achievements were enough to save me from the mockery and scorn of society. For most, I was a man dressing as a woman. But I was a woman at heart. I had a feminine soul and soon my body will be in sync with my soul. I am undergoing a sexual reassignment process (SRP) to make me a complete woman. These days, people at my workplace are confused about whether to call me ma’am or sir. Nevertheless, this confusion doesn’t stop them from sharing tea or snacks with me.

I was the fifth child, born after four boys. I was expected to dress-up like a boy, the way my brothers did. I could never understand why I had to disguise myself and pretend to be someone I am not. Life went on, until one day I realized that I had had enough. I felt like the past 28 years of my life had been a lie. I had to come out of the closet and reveal my true self. I know that this change is not going to be easy on people around me. But, I am a woman and will live like one.”