Shabnam's group is among thousands of eunuchs who have come from Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Of the approximately 1.1 million eunuchs in the country, West Bengal accounts for about 40,000 of them with Kolkata having about 500. The government's population control measures are threatening their livelihood, they say. We are against family planning. We never ask for anything that is not within the capacity of that family to give.
Eunuchs also resent being treated as men in the census count.
The government is reportedly considering carrying out a special census for eunuchs to find out their socio- economic condition. Though recently two eunuchs have won elections, they are viewed with ridicule by the society at large. During the ritualistic congregation, villagers join eunuchs in praying together at the holy tomb albeit with much reluctance. The local people are indifferent. They ignore us, and we ignore them.