The trans have existed across all classes, races, and castes. But their recognition has always come at a cost, with an added struggle that has existed for centuries together. From access to social equality, social rights, education, jobs, and so on, the trans community has been victim to the dichotomous attitude of the society exhibited towards them; how they are simultaneously marginalized and revered. Particularly in the field of jobs, the trans have always had difficulties one notch higher.
With the COVID-induced stagnant economy, India’s youth have been reeling under unemployment for the longest. To add to that, people from the trans community have been the worst hit. While empty promises for jobs are made for India’s youth, since time immemorial, what rarely draws attention is job promises for transgender or, are there even any/many?
Often they are denied jobs and opportunities in economic activities. And those who land up with opportunities earn way lesser than their co-workers. Reason? Social stigma and discrimination.
Kineer: Empowering Trans or Kinnar Community
To address this issue and bring forth a substantial solution, Transgender Activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, along with philanthropist and healthcare professional Dr. Manish Jain and Ms. Pooja Jain, came together to launch Kineer – packaged drinking water synonymous with the Kinnar community for their employment and upliftment.
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Neer means water, and that’s merged with “Kinnar” ( transgender) to form the brand name. Kineer packaged drinking water factories are manned and managed by the members of the community. The water is currently available in the B2B segment, and many MNC’s have pledged to procure Kineer.
“How did this community go from being revered to living on the fringes of society? That is the plight of India’s lakhs of HIJRAS. Respected by the Mughals, but considered criminals by the British colonizers, today, many live as sex workers and beggars. The state of education and employment of transgender is horrendous. No matter if we wear Bindi, Saree, or any adornments, we should be treated as per our work and not our gender. Making a place for ourselves out there is a huge challenge. This is exactly what propelled us to think of launching ‘Kinneer’. This way, we can employ transgenders from within the community,” said Laxmi Narayan Tripathi.
What sets Kineer apart from other packaged drinking water companies in the market?
“Water is a natural resource and not just a commodity. If you offer water with bitterness, it will never quench one’s soul. At Kineer, we don’t just package water but our emotions with it,” added Tripathi.
Top MNCs Join Hands With Kineer To Empower The LGBTQIA+ Community
Kineer has sold lakhs of liters of packaged mineral water across the country since 2018. They have tie-ups with Vistara Airlines, Lalit Hotels, Sodexo, Serum Institute, and more where they send the products.
They are not only working towards creating dignified employment opportunities for the members of the sexual minorities but are also working towards ensuring the mental and physical health of this neglected community is taken care of.
Companies like Flipkart, Sodexo, and more have taken the initiative of placing transgender employees at their facilities.
Kineer participated in Shark Tank India
Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and Dr. Manish Jain made a dashing entry into Shark Tank India with their product: Kineer. Although the sharks were not ready to invest in the venture on the business front, the Kineer founders took things in a good spirit.
“It was very important for Kineer to come to Shark tank. This is a representation of an entire community,” Tripathi said while bidding adieu to the sharks.
Also, read: The Inspiring Story Of Karnataka’s First Trans-Woman Doctor: Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju
Kineer now offers grants to transgender entrepreneurs
What followed after Shark Tank was immense. People from all walks of life came forward to join the cause.
“Although we were not funded at Shark Tank, the response after that was huge. We have been getting overwhelming support. Now we are able to help and encourage transgender who are interested in starting a business by providing them grants,” informed Dr. Manish Jain.
Awards and Recognitions
Kineer has received Mahatma Gandhi Samman At The Hous Of Commons, London, and created an unbeatable World Record For Employing the Maximum Number Of Transgenders through their venture. Likewise, they have been awarded the National Achievers Award – Social Entrepreneur Of The Year, Excellence Award For Skill Development and Placement, and Best CSR Initiatives Awards.
Other Sister Ventures
Kineer launched Parivartan Ka Teeka, a Pan India Free Vaccination drive for the Transgender Community. Kineer, in association with Villoo Poonawala Foundation and Apollo Hospitals, embarked on the journey of having the entire transgender community vaccinated across the country.
Kinnar community has been affected very badly due to the pandemic as all possible sources of income were shut because of covid. Practices such as begging and sex work also stopped. During this period, Kineer initiated the Forgotten Families ration kits assistance. They have assisted over 4.5 lakh members with rations kits across the country and, for the same, been showcased as Bharat kay Mahaveer by the discovery channel.
“Adar Poonawala from Serum Institute was kind enough to provide 25 lakh vaccines to the trans community. He also gave away ration kits during the pandemic. He has been a strong pillar“, shared Dr. Jain.
Trans – Formation is an initiative to ensure that the marginalized transgender community is given an opportunity to become a part of mainstream society through skill-enhancing and dignified employment opportunities. Kineer has been working towards the skill development, training, and placement of the LGBTQIA+ community with corporates.
Kineer created History by initiating the Kinnar Mahotsav by celebrating trans talent. A day-long event at the Tal Katora indoor stadium in New Delhi was organized, where the transgenders were invited from across India to participate and showcase their talent. The artists depicted Mythology through their dance performances, Fashion shows, Painting, and creative Arts were showcased. Even the DJ and Comparing were only trans-persons.
In Project Sahyog, Kineer creates homes for non-milking cows, where they would be taken care of by their team. ◦The cow dung obtained is converted into logs and distributed to the needy to be used as firewood for free. This would, in turn, minimize reserve trespassing and wildlife/human interaction.
Kineer held a trans cricket match in Delhi on December 3, 2022, where there were seven teams from different parts of the country who competed against each other.
Transgender Unemployment And Risks
According to National Human Rights Commission, in 2018, 96 percent of transgender is denied jobs and were forced to take low-paying or undignified work for livelihoods like badhais, sex work, and begging. The study on the rights of transgender revealed that about 92 percent of transgender are deprived of the right to participate in any form of economic activity in the country, with even qualified ones refused jobs.
Among the respondents, around 89 percent of transgender said there are no jobs, even for the qualified ones. About 50-60 percent never attended schools and those who did face severe discrimination. Likewise, 52 percent of transgender were harassed by their classmates and 15 percent by teachers, forcing them to discontinue their studies.
Only 6 percent of transgender were employed in private sectors or NGOs, and the monthly income of only 1 percent of transgender was noted to be above Rs.25,000; the majority-26.35 percent earn between Rs. 10,000-Rs.15,000.
The report further revealed that 23 percent are compelled to engage in sex work which has high health-related risks, which results in trans people being 49 times more at risk of living with HIV compared to the general population.
The company aims to be among the top three players in packaged drinking water in India.
“We are still running on B2B because we are willing to start giving dealerships to trans people and engage them in business. That will happen soon, and then we will hit the retail,” Dr. Jain concluded.