IBNLive.com – Neelu Vyas
New Delhi: Cross-dressing, the act of wearing clothing commonly associated with another gender, is seen mostly as an ignoble concept. However, few people know that it also has roots in India’s mythology and culture.
There is a community of Lord Krishna’s male devotees in Mathura and Vrindavan who dress up in female attire as an act of devotion. The ?cross-dresser? saints are called sakhis (friend) and according to their interpretation, dressing up like females is the act of posing as Radha (she who gives pleasure to Krishna).
These saints live a life of devotion as Krishna?s beloved ?Radha?. Less than 100 in number across the country, most sakhis remain unmarried. However, it?s not unusual to find those who are married. 50-years-old Purshottam, married and with two sons, decided to be a sakhi 12-years ago, he tells.
?My family was not happy with this attire and the lifestyle I adopted. There were fights but I persisted,? says Purshottam.