Aishwarya Rituparna Pradhan is not the regular bureaucrat one comes across while making the rounds of government offices. In the corridors of power, she is the power trans woman, standing tall while proudly flaunting her gender identity and gently frowning at stereotyping. She wears her third gender identity with great pride.
Born into a tribal family in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, Aishwarya was motivated to join the state civil services after seeing the mistreatment meted out to tribal people in the local tehsil office. Armed with a Master’s in Public Administration, she cleared the state civil services exam in the first attempt without any coaching, and joined Odisha Finance Service in 2010.
Navigating the initial hiccups with staff in her office, she eventually won over their respect and trust with her diligent work. “It is immaterial whether you are male or female or a different gender. Ultimately, what matters is whether you deliver or not,” says the wise trans woman who is posted in Puri as District Audit Officer, in an exclusive video interview to Indian Masterminds.
Watch the full interview here:
