'I was a woman within'
INDRANI RAJKHOWA BANERJEE, May 23, 2010, 12.00am IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Life/People/I-was-a-woman-within/articleshow/5958534.cmsIndia's first transsexual celebrity talk show host tells Indrani Rajkhowa Banerjee about her journey from Ramesh to Rose
When I turned feminine...
I was born and raised as a boy named Ramesh Venkatesan. This March, I became Rose Venkatesan. I'm curvaceous, with wild curls flowing down my delicate back and love dressing up like a girl. I became aware of my femininity when I was around five; I felt uncomfortable being a boy. It was traumatic for me when I couldn't dress up like a girl. Painting my lips and nails crimson red was okay till I was a child. I would spend hours with my sister's dolls and mom's make-up. In a conservative Tamil household, I was considered weird but cute in my girlie get up. But all hell broke lose when I reached puberty and still didn't give up my feminine traits. I used to dislike cricket and other 'boy' sports. I was more interested in painting and cooking. I was seething with frustration for not being able to express my feminine side. I walked that extra mile to look like a boy, talking in a husky voice and letting that stubble grow. But somehow bullies in school would smell my secret, that I was a woman from within...
