Chinu the Transgender Dedicates Life to Society
Kakatpur: 08/11
(Tushar Dixit)
Vidya Mishra, popularly known as Chinu Kinnar, hails from a poor Brahmin family in Patharpaka village of Kakatpur. A truly resilient individual in real life, Chinu begs at railway stations and bus stands to sustain herself, while also running an orphanage she established on her own land. Today, she has provided shelter to many orphans as well as elderly people, taking care of them as her own. For these noble deeds, helpless people and orphans regard Vidya Mishra (Chinu) as a goddess.
She has also raised her voice against individuals who present vulgar scenes on stage and social media that mislead society. Chinu has spoken out on this issue through various media outlets in Bhubaneswar.
Chinu lost her mother at a young age. Her father was a religious preacher. Being a transgender, Chinu faced neglect and humiliation from her own family. After her father’s passing, her relatives completely disowned her, calling her derogatory names and denying her shelter in her own home.
However, Chinu did not give up. She moved to Bhubaneswar, where she washed dishes in hotels and worked as a fourth-grade staff member in traditional opera troupes (Jatra) to support herself. Gradually, she began performing in Jatra as well.
Eventually, she returned to her village and turned her father’s inherited property into an ashram. She has since committed her life to serving orphans and the elderly, providing them food and shelter.
Despite her noble work, Chinu has not received any government assistance. Meanwhile, at a time when obscene dances in the Jatra industry are leading society astray, she has taken a strong stand against such practices and appealed to the government to put an end to them.
