Sweety Milk Dairy Farm: a transgender person’s quest to re-script life & identity

Two years ago, drawing on what she learned from her guru, she started the dairy farm with just three to four buffaloes. Now, the farm has around 50 Murrah buffaloes and is spread over nearly 2,000 square yards — up from an initial 100 square yards. The farm primarily deals in the sale and purchase of Murrah buffaloes, a breed native to Haryana and known for high milk yield. “As soon as I bring new buffalo, buyers start arriving. We sell five or six buffaloes in a day, sometimes even 10,” Sweety says.

Sweety has buyers visiting her dairy farm from Mumbai, Hyderabad, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and the dairy even arranges food and accommodation for outstation customers — “a gesture helped us build trust”.

The dairy has more than 10 workers without formal training. Sweety, too, milks buffaloes, feeds them and takes their proper care. “I learned everything from my guruji. We learned by doing. Sometimes we faced losses, too,” she says.

Sweety says she was into traditional “badhai” (ceremonial performances and blessings) for income. “My guru used to send me for badhai. I did it for years. But then I built my own identity and dignity,” she says. Now, in the village, she is addressed as daughter, sister or aunt — a shift she considers her biggest achievement. “If you fall into addiction, everything is finished. If you work hard, even God supports you,” she says.

The dairy produces 2.5 to 3 quintals of milk daily, and sells for Rs 80 per kg, with plans to raise the price to Rs 90 from March. The farm’s selling point is “purity”. “No water adulteration, no hormone injections to increase milk yield, we have entirely natural rearing practices,” Sweety says. “Some use injections to compete, but it harms cattle. We don’t do it.”

Vikram Singh, the dairy’s manager who has been with Sweety for 15 years, says her acceptance was not immediate. “Initially, people hesitated because she belongs to the kinnar community. Now, we sell all milk,” he says. Residents from Defence Colony and Vishal Nagar are regular customers.

Rajesh Devi says she was the first in her neighbourhood to start buying milk from the dairy and encouraged others to do so too.

Another customer, Santosh, describes the milk as “just like home”.

A village woman even sold her three cows and started buying milk from Sweety’s dairy.

For Sweety, the dairy is not just a commercial venture. “If the kinnar community works hard, they are no less than anyone. We want to show this,” she says.

The dairy provides accommodation, food and clothing for workers. Anju, a worker at the farm and a non-transgender person, says, “The environment feels like a family, with opportunities for both work and education.”

Sweety also runs a registered charitable initiative, “Eknath Ashram”, and plans to establish a gaushala and further expand the dairy business.

Dr Sanjeev Fogat, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), Animal Husbandry Department, recently conducted a surprise inspection of the dairy. Speaking to The Indian Express, he described the dairy as “a strong example of struggle, self-belief and dignity”. “We learned that Sweety Pradhan from the transgender community has been running a large dairy for the past three to four years. This is not just a dairy unit, but a powerful example of resilience,” he said. He added that the department aims to link the dairy with government schemes, including access to quality semen, participation in milk competitions and technical guidance to improve breeding standards. “Vaccination, prevention of diseases like foot-and-mouth, and emergency veterinary support will continue. The milk quality here is commendable — there is no adulteration,” he said.

Dr Fogat emphasised the need to strengthen the dairy’s branding and visibility for wider recognition. Sweety Milk Dairy Farm is not merely a local success story from Gohana; it reflects a broader shift in India’s social landscape. where dignity is not demanded but earned through enterprise, and where a marginalised community is carving space in the mainstream through hard work and credibility. As Sweety puts it, “Respect doesn’t come by asking for it. It comes from what you do.”