Meet Kolkata’s Nitasha Biswas, India’s first Miss Trans Queen

16 transwomen from across India walked the ramp on Sunday for the coveted title

And what better way to celebrate the equivalence and splendour than a mega beauty pageant that is unlike others but not without the usual glitz and glamour, and a crazy crowd shouting at the top of their lungs. As expected of any beauty pageant, the most beautiful and appealing walked the ramp, donning the most luxuriant costumes and gowns. And at the end of the evening, Nitasha Biswas of Kolkata was crowned Miss Trans Queen India 2017, the title that no one before her had the privilege of bagging in India. Nitasha was crowned the winner of the first beauty pageant for transwomen in the country. Loiloi Haorongbam from Manipur was the first runner-up while Ragasiya from Tamil Nadu was the second runner-up. Nitasha is pursuing Masters in Business Management. “My journey was not easy. I feel very privileged to be where I am today and knowing so much of struggles and hardships that I’ve gone through,” she said with pride, adding, “This is a very big responsibility and I would like to transgender women rather than focusing on rights. I never wanted rights. I always wanted to empower our system and our community because that’s what is needed.” 16 transwomen from across India walked the ramp on Sunday for the coveted title. Reena Rai, the brain behind the pageant, said that an event like this was important to change the outlook of the majority of Indians towards transgenders. “When I first decided to do this, I got a lot of criticism from all corners. People called me all sorts of things and questioned my sexuality and gender. They said I am a transwoman, a lesbian, a bisexual, and that is why I’m doing this,” Rai told indianexpress.com. Mumbai-based actress and social activist Gauri Sawant, who was a member of the jury, said, “This is the first organised pageant on a national level for transwomen after the Nalsa judgment (the landmark 2014 Supreme Court decision to declare transgender people as ‘third gender’), so I strongly believe that this is going to empower transsexuals and inspire them to dream of winning the crown and represent their country and community on an international platform.”