When you ponder on it, there are very few souls who truly inspire others and strive to set an example that others feel motivated to act upon. One such person is Sruthy Sithara, who is the first Indian to win Miss Trans Global in 2021. In a world that still continues to ostracize someone for who they are and for factors they can’t control about themselves, it is truly heartwarming and beautiful to see someone break the shackles of a conservative society and stand proud to who they are. The LGBTQ+ community along with the rest of the country watched with pride as Sruthy wore her crown proud and tall this December.

Sruthy’s achievements aren’t limited to the pageant alone. She is one of the four transgender people in India to have been awarded with a government job. She had been competing in the pageant event for nearly half a year before securing her victory. The sufferings and societal oppression faced by trans people are not foreign to anyone who is even slightly aware of how things work in our country. Hailing from Kerala, Sruthy’s life has been just as confusing, at times heartbreaking yet completely inspiring like many others from the community. Even though the pandemic did not allow for a grande physical event to officiate the victory, this did not let Sruthy dampen her spirits in anyway.

In a society that still looks down upon trans people and criticizes them for their very existence, she has braved so much to reach where she has. Her victory has brought pride to the state and the entire country. The 25 year old has been appreciated by the state education minister and every single word of the congratulatory message has been well earned. Proving that she is a beauty with ample brains, Sruthy is one of the handful of people who has secured a government job with the Kerala state government and she works in the Social Justice department. She has inspired so many young people with her life.

She proudly dedicated her win to the entire community who remain oppressed and still in the closet, afraid to stand up to the world out of justified fear. We all hope that her victory speaks directly to those belonging to the gender nonconforming and trans people in India, and everyone falling under the LGBTQ plus banner. All the hardships that she has faced to reach where she has is often experienced in double and triple by people who come from even worse situation and have to deal with plenty of other forms of oppression along with this.

Sruthy Sithara will be a name echoed by millions around the country for quite a while and will stand true as a symbol of hope, pride and inspiration to everyone, irrespective of how they identify themselves.