You might recognize her from the Vicks ad. Gauri Sawant wrote history by becoming the first Indian transgender mother. She showed everyone that you don’t need a body of a woman to be a mother but a heart that knows love. Quoting Gauri, “Mother is a behaviour, to loving someone from bottom of your heart is a behaviour. Motherhood is beyond gender.” Here is the amazing story of India’s first transgender mother:

1. Born as Ganesh

Gauri was born in Pune as Ganesh. Her father was a police officer and had different expectations from his ‘son’. Since childhood Gauri then Ganesh was very feminine and enjoyed the company of girlfriends playing Ghar-Ghar and making food. Gauri’s childhood wasn’t golden as most of ours. After losing her mom at a very tender age of 5, there was no one to take care of her properly. It was difficult for her father to accept her innocent feminine traits and behaviours and he would often be pissed off. Not to further disappoint her dad she left home at the age of 18 to live her life freely.

2. Becoming an activist

Life was initially hard. She only had 60 rupees when she left home. But by god’s grace, she found shelter under a trust called Humsafar Trust – LGBTQ organisation, where she gave speeches and helped people to accept themselves and embrace their real identity. Soon she opened her own organisation named Sakshi Char Chowghi that helps transgenders and people suffering from HIV AIDS.