As many as 60 Ahmedabad youth have submitted separate affidavits to a lower court that they want to become eunuchs and that their decision is self motivated and not forced upon or influenced by anyone.
In affidavits filed phasewise through out the last year, all the youth uniformly expressed their desire to become eunuchs. Most of these youth belong to the lower economic strata of the society and feel that becoming a eunuch would solve their unemployment problem and give them a better standard of life.
Mahesh, a 20 something who has filed an affidavit told this newspaper, "I have been trying to get a good job since the last two years. But I am only a class 6 passout and all I have been offered is the job of a peon or a lift man. I have better aspirations in life. As such, I have a physical deformity and to turn into a eunuch is the best available option for me. In fact it is a career move," he said adding that a friend who has turned eunuch now owns a car.
"It’s easy money and the lifestyle is good," says Sanjay Desai, another unemployed youth. Sanjay was employed with a private co-operative bank which closed down a year ago following a scam. He has been scouting for a low level job but has not had any luck so far.
Senior advocate of the Ahmedabad sessions court Gulaab Khan Pathan, who has seen a number of affidavits, said that it was surprising that so many youth have submitted affidavits claiming that they want to turn eunuchs.
According to Mr Pathan, in the recent past there were some complaints where parents had approached the police and filed cases that their sons had been abducted and forcibly turned into eunuchs by some "anti social" eunuchs.
Following a spate of such complaints, there is now a rule that an adult seeking to become a eunuch must file an affidavit declaring he wants to become a eunuch of his own will.
A eunuch said their group of about 10 eunuchs can easily make Rs 5,000 a day and this easy money was attracting a lot of unemployed youth belonging to poor families. There are about a dozen eunuch groups in the city which are at logger heads at each other. In the past, they have also indulged in gang wars. The warring groups usually fight over their jurisdiction.
Courtesy : www.asianage.com
In affidavits filed phasewise through out the last year, all the youth uniformly expressed their desire to become eunuchs. Most of these youth belong to the lower economic strata of the society and feel that becoming a eunuch would solve their unemployment problem and give them a better standard of life.
Mahesh, a 20 something who has filed an affidavit told this newspaper, "I have been trying to get a good job since the last two years. But I am only a class 6 passout and all I have been offered is the job of a peon or a lift man. I have better aspirations in life. As such, I have a physical deformity and to turn into a eunuch is the best available option for me. In fact it is a career move," he said adding that a friend who has turned eunuch now owns a car.
"It’s easy money and the lifestyle is good," says Sanjay Desai, another unemployed youth. Sanjay was employed with a private co-operative bank which closed down a year ago following a scam. He has been scouting for a low level job but has not had any luck so far.
Senior advocate of the Ahmedabad sessions court Gulaab Khan Pathan, who has seen a number of affidavits, said that it was surprising that so many youth have submitted affidavits claiming that they want to turn eunuchs.
According to Mr Pathan, in the recent past there were some complaints where parents had approached the police and filed cases that their sons had been abducted and forcibly turned into eunuchs by some "anti social" eunuchs.
Following a spate of such complaints, there is now a rule that an adult seeking to become a eunuch must file an affidavit declaring he wants to become a eunuch of his own will.
A eunuch said their group of about 10 eunuchs can easily make Rs 5,000 a day and this easy money was attracting a lot of unemployed youth belonging to poor families. There are about a dozen eunuch groups in the city which are at logger heads at each other. In the past, they have also indulged in gang wars. The warring groups usually fight over their jurisdiction.
Courtesy : www.asianage.com