Priya Sasidharan – Kerala’s first transwoman doctor

Priya Sasidharan is the first transwoman doctor from the state of Kerala. A resident of Ayyanthole, Thrissur, she is currently serving as doctor at Sitaram Ayurvedic Speciality Hospital in Thrissur.

Born in Ayyanthole and brought up in Kollam

Priya Sasidharan was born as Jinu Sasidharan, a son to the couple, Sasidharan and Vanaja. Jinu has one brother too, and both kids were excellent in studies. The couple were into nursing profession, and later they entered pharmaceutical business and they shifted to Chathanoor of Kollam district, where the kids continued her studies.

Since young Jinu liked to be in company with girls than boys, and also loved to wear their dress & ornaments, to grow long hair, to pierce ears to wear ear rings – everything associated with girls, and because of social conditions & resistance from family, he had to give away all those secret ambitions. Slowly he felt desolated from others and started praying to god to become a girl.

Priya was in Class V at S N Public School in Kollam, when her parents started identifying her hidden identity through her scribbles. They also expressed their agony and distress. Assuming it to be some mental problem, they even took him to a psychiatrist, and the doctor ruled out any such problems in her, after examining him. His parents asked him to behave like a boy and he also tried all way possible.

Priya Sasidharan completed her Ayurveda studies hiding her true identity

Throughout her growing years, she has hidden her identity, even from her hostel mates, where she used to pretend like a man. She completed entrance coaching at P. C. Thomas’ Coaching institute and joined Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda College. She graduated in 2008 and completed her PG studies from KVG Ayurveda Medical College, Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka four years later.

She started off her medical career at Peringod Poomulli Ayurbeve hospital, followed by Kannur government Ayurveda college. She is currently practising at Sitaram Ayurveda Hospital in Thrissur, her hometown.

She went through sex rearrangement surgery after started practising as an Ayurvedic doctor

When family started looking for a match for her, she felt like it’s the right time to stop acting as a male and talk to mother. She talked to her mother as a doctor and her mother agreed and accepted it. She started treatment at Chennai Apollo Hospital, where her uncle Dr.Jayes was working. She went through a lot of physical pains & mental therapies and finally transformed to a girl. Now she dreams to have a family and kids.

Priya Sasidharan – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. During her childhood days, Priya used to supress her feelings and expressed herself through her diary writings, addressing her name as Kaveri – A freely flowing river. Yet she chose another name for her transformation, as she doesn’t want to keep those bitter memories with her.

2. During the last cultural events of her residence association of Thrissur just before her transformation, she won first prize for fastest sari draping contest in male category. Now she is in search of the second prize winner of the contest, to give away her prize.

3. During her college days, some women had expressed their interest in ‘him’. But Priya, then Jinu was never attracted to women. In fact he was attracted to men.

4. While at school, one day when teacher asked students about their future dreams, ‘he’ expressed ‘her’ dream to become a woman, and faced a lot of embarrassment from her friends.