Unsung Heroes | From polio survivor to rights crusader: How a tribal transman in Chikkaballapur is transforming thousands of lives

When polio struck

Kiran Nayak was born a female 39 years ago to the Lambani tribal community. At the time of birth, the parents — daily wage labourers — named her Usha Kiran. “I was born in Hanuman Thanda (tribal settlement) in Narsampet, Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh. Generally, in our community, in those days, if a female was born, they would usually be married at the age of 12-15 years,” Nayak says.

But there was a bigger tragedy waiting for Usha as she was struck with polio, paralysing her left leg. “Having a paralysed leg made life difficult. I was unable to go to school and my family did not know anything about wheelchairs or even a tri-cycle then,” Nayak says.

But Usha Kiran’s life changed when a schoolteacher named Krishnamurthy noticed the eight-year-old sitting at home and asked a simple question: “Why isn’t this child in school?” From the next day forward, Krishnamurthy personally transported him to and from school on his scooter—a gesture that would change countless lives.

“Whatever I am today is because of Krishnamurthy. Had he not taken me to school, I can’t imagine how my life would have been,” Nayak recollects.

However, going to school and returning with Krishnamurthy had not ignited the fire for Kiran then. The real trigger was when Kiran’s mother approached local authorities seeking disability certificate. “I was around 12-13 years then. My mother wanted to get me disability certificate to avail the benefits. She went through hell for the next three years. There are days when we have slept on the corridors of the government hospitals, outside government offices, and suffered immensely, and it was all for a disability certificate. The harrowing days ranged from bribes to replies such as ‘will look into your file’ and many more reasons to delay the certificate. Even today, those days haunt me,” Nayak says.

The sufferings the family experienced changed Nayak’s life forever. “I decided that nobody should go through the miseries that I and my mother had to go through,” Nayak says.

From Usha Kiran to Kiran Nayak

After completing Class 10, Usha Kiran was made to join a girls’ hostel. At 18, she was facing the discomfort of living in a girls’ hostel while struggling with gender identity. “I was not comfortable being a female, and all my feelings were like a man’s. On top of it, the classes at my schools and colleges used to be on the first and second floors. It became hard for me to attend classes as well,” Nayak says.

The first activism that Nayak made was to organise a campaign on the International Day for Persons with Disabilities in Warangal to fight for the rights of disabled people.

“I, along with six fellow students, wrote postcards to 1,000 disabled persons across the Warangal district. When nearly 700 people showed up with their families, refusing to leave until they received disability certificates, local authorities had no choice but to act. The police and district administration never anticipated that such a huge turnout would happen. The Prajwala Disability Rights Foundation was born, eventually spanning 23 districts,” Nayak says.

A major turning point happened in 2008, when Nayak, who was at that time Usha Kiran, took a bold step by marrying Kavya — his friend Sarita’s younger sister — whom he fell in love with during his college days.

Their relationship defied social norms as the marriage of an adivasi person with disability, and someone struggling with gender identity was unthinkable. Kavya’s family filed kidnapping charges, an issue that was celebrated by the media.

By then, Usha Kiran started to identify as male. “It is my personal choice and nobody can stop me,” he says.

“First of all, I was a disabled person, and on top of it, I was born a female and now identify as a male. The society cannot accept me I am marrying a woman. It became a talking point in Andhra Pradesh (then Telangana state was not formed),” Nayak recalls.

While it became hard to lead a life in Warangal and Andhra Pradesh, Suresh, a journalist at a regional channel, came as a saviour. Kavya and I were contemplating ending our lives. In 2008, Kavya and Kiran Nayak shifted to Bengaluru with the help of an NGO.

“When I landed in Bengaluru, I was 22 years and did not know any language other than Telugu. Human rights activist Manohar Elavarathi sent us to Chikkaballapur to work for the betterment of transgender community and HIV victims. “Though initially it was tough, I took some days to understand deeply and started working with them. We were basically helping them build their lives and also avail the benefits of the government.

In 2012, Nayak noticed that there were more than 42,000 disabled people alone in the Chikkaballapur district. “I discovered high levels of fluoride in the groundwater in Chikkaballapur are leaving many physically disabled,” he says.

That’s how Karnataka Vikalachetanara Sanghatane (KVS) was born with the aim of helping disabled persons access government benefits, training, and dignity, Nayak says. Today, the organisation has over 12,000 members. He founded Nisarga for the transgender community and the Society for Transmen Action and Rights (STAR).

“On one side, the society is so narrow-minded that people are unable to open up about their sexuality; on the other hand, these people have remained invisible in the eyes of the government. The same goes with disabled people. How many of the buildings in this country are disability-friendly?” asks Nayak, who, with the support of KVS, has been able to convince the government to make the offices disabled-friendly.

The disabled-friendly government offices in the Chikkaballapur district stand testimony to Nayak’s rigorous efforts.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, Nayak became the saviour for the transgender community, the physically challenged, and autorickshaw drivers. “After the lockdown was announced, I started getting calls from the communities seeking help. I posted messages and videos, and we were able to get Rs 10 lakh fund within 24 hours. We distributed ration kits and essential items to thousands,” he says.

Recognition came in 2020 when the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People awarded him the Helen Keller Award. In 2016, the state government also felicitated Nayak with the Karnataka Rajyotsava award.

Being an adivasi, transman with disability, Nayak represents the true meaning of intersectionality—not as academic theory, but as lived reality. Now, Nayak is busy building second-layer leadership within these communities. “I have fought, but it needs to continue. There are about 40 people who are being trained. Some of the law students are also helping us legally to bring in policies. A lot of the disabled people who are now in government jobs are also helping the communities. But still, there is a lot to do,” Nayak says.

Nayak is mostly engaged in getting approval for infrastructure from the government at the local level and also helping those communities who are in need.

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