A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi: Candid Biography of India’s First Transgender Principal – Review and Summary

Last Updated: November 27, 2023

Welcome to a profound exploration of “A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi [1],” a candid biography illuminating the extraordinary journey of India’s first transgender Principal, Dr. Manobi Bandopadhyay. Ready to delve into the depths of this insightful review and summary? Let’s embark on this enriching journey together!

What is Their Fault?

Our country won independence in 1947, but even today, many people have been struggling for their freedom for many years. Today, I am talking about those; whom you have seen in traffic signals and turned your face. You have looked at them in trains asking for money with clapping, praying for the couple in the marriage, and blessing a newborn child. Yes, I am talking about transgender; people also call them Kinner, Hijra, Brihannala, Napungshak, Khoja, Launda, Jankha, Eunuch, and some even call Chhakka.

For many centuries our society has been ill-treating transgenders. Many governments have come, but no one has given them complete freedom. What is their fault? Our society thought of them as strange, loathsome, subhuman, and other planet creatures. It never seems to our society, “Transgenders are humans having feelings like others.”

Many transgenders have defined their identity and inspired the whole world by imbibing the struggle with their firm determination. Yes, I am talking about India’s first transgender principal Dr. Manobi Bandopadhyay.

The Summary of “A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi”

“A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi” is about Dr. Manobi Bandyopadhyay‘s extraordinary and courageous journey to set an ideal in our society. She tells the story of her transformation from a man into a woman. She also describes the continuation of her education despite of many troubles.

Through this book, Dr. Bandyopadhyay narrates that she didn’t remember when she realized she was different. It is also unclear whether she realized it or whether the people told her.

Manobi Ji tells that after two sisters, a boy was born in their house. Because of it, everyone rejoiced, and the boy was named Somnath. Ms. Manobi’s childhood name was Somnath. At a young age, she started seeing feelings like girls. Even as a boy, she was attracted to boys. She liked to dress up like girls. Often she would wear her sisters’ clothes and put their make-up on her face. Because of it, her family members were furious with her. She used to face the question of her existential reality in her loneliest hours. Who was she? Why was she born a woman trapped in a man’s body? What was her destiny?

When the parents noticed that Somnath was a eunuch, they were wistful. Mother used to insist Somnath behave like a boy. Manobi Ji describes that her parents didn’t make her homeless. They supported her at every step of her life. She struggled a lot in her life; When she went to college to study, she was ill-treated. When Ms. Manobi went to college to teach, many teachers hatched conspiracies to get her out of college. Since her childhood, she had to face betrayals in the name of love and relationship.

Dr. Manobi Bandopadhyay’s life is a mirror for our society. Her life shows, there is still discrimination against transgenders. They are living their lives in total subservience in independent Bharat (India). The shackles of this bloodsucking evil will be shattered only when we will experience “vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam (वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्)” which means “The Whole World is One Family [2].”

To connect with Dr. Manobi Bandopadhyay, you should read “A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi” once in your life.

Works Cited

1. Bandopadhyay, Manobi, and J. M. Pandey. A Gift of Goddess Lakshmi. 1st ed., Penguin Random House India, 2017.

2. Sansad ki Kala. VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. https://sansadkikala.ignca.gov.in/details/vasudhaiva-kutumbakam/en. Accessed 26 Nov. 2023.

3. The feature image used in this post was created on Photopea.com on November 26, 2023 by Preeti Bhandari.