A Style Like No Other: Bhoomi Harendran
7th June 2022
Interview By: Abilesha Segar & Ruwani De Silva
Written By: Abilesha Segar
Illustration by Fathima Sahana
In Sri Lanka, no laws specifically criminalize the existence of transgender or intersex people; however, very few laws exist to ensure their rights are protected. Worse, existing laws are often weaponized by the Police to target LGBTI people, particularly transgender women involved in sex work. This is the context in which Bhoomi Harendran, as a transgender woman, works to ensure the rights of marginalized people, including those who identify as LGBTIQ rights and those living with HIV.
Bhoomi is the Executive Director of the National Transgender Network Sri Lanka, a non-governmental organisation working for the rights of transgender people in Sri Lanka. She is an activist, media spokesperson, model, and a subcommittee member of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. She also has worked with many community organisations for the rights of key populations and the LGBTIQ community. Alongside her activism, Bhoomi is also an award-winning actress for her role in the hit blockbuster Frangipani (Sayapethi Kusuma).
As a child, Bhoomi grew up in the care of her Aunt and Grandmother, as at the age of around 2, her mother went abroad for employment. Bhoomi describes her childhood as happy, growing up with her cousins, smiling as she says, "I am the favourite child of my grandmother," and reflects on the structured nature of her life. "I never felt discriminated as a child," says Bhoomi, sharing how there was no gender-specific role in her home and how her mother would get others to help her with the household chores. When she felt like she was not getting enough support from the family, she would stop what she was doing and ensure help was given. "My mother manages everything nicely. I believe my skill of managing things even at any difficult time is from her", says Bhoomi. Recalling her childhood memories with her father, she shared how "my father used to sing. We sing duets. I had a very high-pitched voice. So, we used to sing together. He sings Jothipala's part, and I used to sing Angeline's part. We had a good time".
From a young age, Bhoomi understood her feelings about her birth specified gender were different, but there was little space to discuss this. Bhoomi expresses sadly how "Kids do not share any feelings. The only expectations from kids are to study, play, study and play. Children do not have any right to express their feelings or opinions. I also never shared any of my thoughts with anyone". Thus Bhoomi's inner woman continued to grow without acknowledgement.
Things began to evolve as she grew older. She describes how when she began growing her hair, there was a lot of pressure from her immediate family to cut it, but her father would defend her, saying, "That is his style. What is your problem? Nowadays days boys are also growing hair. Let him be." It was only when Bhoomi was 21 and going through her transition that the full realization of how she felt was understood, and her mother asked her to leave home. For Bhoomi, this was a fair request. At that time, her father told her, "Live your life. Don't make others look at you and laugh. Make yourself proud. I know you can manage your life, but not within the circle in this area. It's really hard to see that you're leaving this house but can't help. I think this is what destined to be. We are not lucky enough to live together." With a heavy heart, Bhoomi had to leave her home and find her way of living, refusing to compromise on her courage to be who she truly was. This journey would be filled with challenges, including a painful and abusive relationship with an ex-boyfriend with whom she was living.
Later with the support of one of her friends, Bhoomi started standing on her own feet. Even though it was challenging to get everything done independently, she learned things. At this time, she found the strength to dress and exist as a woman, both in public and private. "The first month, it was really hard. Because I have no idea as to how to make up, how to match the clothes and to walk as a woman with a woman attire. So I used to wear lipstick and eyeliners, but I don't know how to cover my beard shadow. So it is obviously horrible looking. Later, step by step, I started to learn about it. How to do it, how to match it, how to boost up, yourself, etc.," she reflects.
Bhoomi refers to Dilshan Hettiaarachi (Equal Ground) as one of her great allies. "He's the one who trained me to do workshops and stuff. Whatever the skill that I have right now, I would say that I got those from him. He always wanted me to have a unique style. Whenever I make mistakes during the workshops, he will be standing behind the crowd… looks at me with an expression that will make me realise that I have done something wrong", says Bhoomi.
Bhoomi also shares her sorrow and anger at how she has been treated openly, "I get a lot of invitations for intimacy. But I am not that type of person. It actually hurts when people see me and approach me in that way". The struggle of any transgender person to live in a conservative society is not something easily expressed in words she says, "when you become a very known person. It also makes you so depressed because you can't actually live the life you want. You have something to maintain. I really don't give a shit about what people think. But sometimes the message you give to the society might be judged by your appearance and the way you behave," she adds. In her life, she has taken everything as a challenge. She has always fought and found ways to overcome those circumstances. "I had a huge language barrier. In a way, now I am managing…I used to watch Hollywood movies and copy accents."
Enjoying what you do is the most important thing to succeed in anything you do is Bhoomi's foundation, and she finds her work joyful. As the Executive Director of the National Transgender Network Sri Lanka, she says she empowers her staff to do their work and does not interfere in the work until she sees the final output. "Today, this organization has grown to a well-known level and is in a position to attract much funding. I am very happy to see the growth of this organization. I can look back, smile, and say, I did it", proudly says Bhoomi. Bhoomi's journey started in 2011, and it took her about ten years to reach this position. Her vision for this Network is to have sub-networks in all districts across Sri Lanka to support transgender people. She also envisions herself working on child abuse and global war and does not want to be stereotyped as an LGBTQ rights activist.
Though Bhoomi had to leave her house many years back, she is still in touch with her parents. Sharing her memory of her late father, who passed in 2019, she says, "whenever I go home, I can see a huge smile on my father's face. My favourite moment is when he asks me to put cologne on his head and to give him a massage. I still can remember his face at that time and the grip when he holds my hand". One of the artifacts she shares shows her affection towards her parents, a picture of her father lying on the bed and her mother seated beside him. Another is a picture of Kali Amman that gives her a lot of courage. Her carefully chosen look of a saree, big Bindi (Mottu), and rings give her courage. She laughs when sharing that "When I am on this attire, with the Kali Amman image with this music, I kind of get the Sivagami Devi attitude."
Describing herself as a joyful person, she says, "I always like to see people smiling, and I really love to be the reason... I always tell my mother that I may not live long and I may die tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure that I will be a sweet memory in each and every person's life, and this is my biggest goal". "The main focus of your life should be your happiness, do whatever makes you happy. But make sure that it won't damage anyone else."
Bhoomi is a firm believer in positivity and always tells people "not to lose your dreams just because of the circumstance and just because of the situations you did not see when hard times come, you would feel blank. But if you have courage, you will see a light in the dark. You can follow the light, and you can continue to follow your destination."
Reference Links and Further Reading
Testing the boundaries-Bhoomi Harendran is the Lankan Iron Lady, Cosmopolitan Under35, Bhoomi Harendran - 35 Under 35 Cosmopolitan Sri Lanka (oddly.co)
Bhoomi becomes first Transgender woman in Sri Lanka to host a political talkshow, Newswire, 19th July 2020 Bhoomi becomes first Transgender woman in Sri Lanka to host a political talkshow - NewsWire
HERO Awards 2021 Community Partners APN+, APTN and ILGA Asia Unveil much anticipated honourees list, apcom.org, HERO Awards 2021 Community Partners APN+, APTN and ILGA Asia Unveil much anticipated honourees list - Page 10 of 12 - APCOM
Notes
This article is pending support to be translated into Sinhala and Tamil. Please email storiesofslwomen@everystorysl.org if you would like to support us with translations or if you have any questions.
(Abilesha Segar is currently a Program Manager at Everystory Sri Lanka and the Project Manager for the Stories of Sri Lankan Women. She holds a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree from the University of Colombo and moonlights as a Tamil compere, moderator, and voice artist. Most importantly to her, she is the mother of a wonderful toddler who has yet to miss any Everystory meeting she attends.)
(Ruwani De Silva identifies as a feminist activist, master trainer, and digital media and brand consultant. Based in Colombo, she's interested in building strategies and educational material that reaches every part of the country on all social issues. As a trilingual trainer, she also takes pride in travelling to all parts of the country to conduct programs and discussions with youth and women.)
