News Leak Centre

No Fear No Favour

Meet the wonder ‘Trans’woman, an unsung tale of courage: Aizya Naaz Joshi

Breaking all the barriers and fighting all the odds against her, this lady is now an inspiration to many. Till date, we have only heard transgender stories that are full of agony. We have seen them begging, clapping or doing prostitution. As a child we were all scared of “hijras” but little did we know that few years down the line we shall have exceptions.

Today transgenders are news anchors, mayors, school principals, court judges, models and beauty queens. One such queen is Aizya Naaz Joshi, born a transgender in a Hindu Muslim community, Naaz was always treated as a shame by her family. Her school mates called her chakka, hijra, impotent and what not? She didn’t have a good childhood as she grew up in a prejudice society, she absolutely had no friends in school, but she did not give up.

In her childhood, she was sexually molested by her school teachers and distant relatives. She tells that she hardly saw childhood. She was sent to Mumbai to a distant relative where she completed her higher secondary education through open schooling. She could not give much time to her studies because most of her time went doing part time jobs at restaurants, dhabas, selling items in local trains and assisting in beauty salons as helper.

When she grew up as a teen, she took up bar dancing as a profession. During her teenage, she also appeared in singing reality show hosted by Annu Kapoor. Her flair for art and creativity made her appear for NIFT entrance exam in 1999 where she decided to be a designer. She decided to hide her gender at the fashion school else she would have not led a peaceful life. She was awarded as most creative designer award at graduating show at NIFT 2001. She was offered jobs at India’s two top most leading designers Ritu Kumar and Ritu beri.

She along with her brother launched her own label of high end fashion wear.. but sudden demise of her brother left her shattered. That’s when she finally gave up and started leading life of her gender. But being true to her meant no design house hired her. She went into prostitution for 6 dark years. Till the barbaric judgement of Supreme court announced transgenders as third genders. And she took her first step of opening her fashion grooming school called fashion gurukul in 2015.

In the same year, the renowned “Tehelka” magazine took a note of her and decided to put her on the cover page. Since then there has been no looking back for Naaz. She has walked many ramp shows including show stopper for save the pug in 2014 and Rajasthan designer festival 2014. She launched MIHM a platform for MARRIED INDIAN ladies to showcase their talent through a beauty pageant name MRS INDIA HOME MAKERS. In mere one and half year, Naaz has done six beauty pageant under the label MIHM and sent more than 18 women to compete for international pageants. Naaz herself won MS REPUBLIC INTERNATIONAL BEAUTY AMBASSADOR 2017 title and MS. UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR title.

Recently she was among top 5 in the ranking of south Asian transgender models ruling fashion industry, with nepal at number one, pakistan and number 2 and naaz at number 3. This trans lady has proved that destiny can be changed through hardwork dedication and passion and is an inspiration to not only third gender but inspiration to entire man kind. Make your weaknesses into strengths and sky is the limit. Naaz is also a social activist and raises funds for NGO through her beauty pageants and tries to do little for the under privileged. Her aim is to spread happiness to people who perhaps did not support her when she needed them the most.

“Be a human, before a man or woman”, that’s what Naaz has taught us. Keep inspiring Naaz!

 

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