Petchiammal's extraordinary journey began after a personal tragedy forced her to adopt a male identity for decades. Born in 1965 in Sokkalingapuram village, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu state, Petchiammal married Shiva at the age of 20. Just 15 days into their marriage, her husband passed away from a heart attack, leaving her pregnant. Deciding not to remarry, Petchiammal initially sent her daughter, Shanmugasundari, to live with her mother while she worked tirelessly at a charcoal factory, construction sites, tea stalls, and restaurants.

As a young widow working alone, she was frequently subjected to harassment from men. One evening, on her way to the charcoal factory, a truck driver stopped and attempted to force her into his vehicle. When Petchiammal refused, he made inappropriate remarks before leaving. Fearing his return, she had to ask an acquaintance from her neighborhood to escort her to work.

Throughout that night shift, Petchiammal deeply pondered her safety. "If someone harms me, will society demand justice for me or will they blame me first?", she recounted to the Times of India.

Her transformation into Muthu was a deliberate act of self-preservation and empowerment. The next morning, she bought a shirt and a man's dhoti, then took a vehicle to the Tiruchendur Murugan temple. There, she shaved her head and performed rituals in women's attire for the last time before changing into men's clothing and renaming herself Muthu.

Petchiammal. Photo: Times of India

In her early years as Muthu, she quickly established herself professionally. She worked as a chef in Thoothukudi, then moved to Chennai, specializing in cooking biryani. Customers and colleagues affectionately called her "Muthu Master" - a title reserved for skilled artisans.

While men's attire effectively helped her avoid harassment, it also led to unexpected social complexities. On her two arms, she had 6 tattoos of women's names accompanied by heart symbols. These were female colleagues who had developed feelings for her; some even proposed marriage to "chef" Muthu. Unable to reveal her true identity, she fabricated a story about having a fiancee back home.

"I didn't want to disappoint them, so I tattooed everyone's names on my arms", she explained.

After three years in Chennai, following her mother's death, she brought her daughter, then 10 years old, to Kattunaickkanpatti village, 35 km from Thoothukudi city, to raise her directly. In this new home, no one suspected that the newly arrived man was a woman. She transitioned to farming, becoming skilled at tasks like digging, chopping wood, and using a hoe and axe.

Maintaining her male persona required constant vigilance and adaptation to male social norms. To keep her secret, she used men's restrooms, sat with men on buses, and learned to smoke hand-rolled cigarettes (beedi). One night, walking back to the village, she saw a drunk man approaching. She immediately pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The man only asked for a match, called her "friend", and walked away.

Despite its benefits, living as a man presented significant personal inconveniences. Each time she visited the Tiruchendur temple, she could not enter the main worship area due to the rule requiring men to remove their shirts during rituals. Before menopause at the age of 40, she had to conceal her menstrual cycle monthly, take painkillers, and perform heavy labor as usual to avoid suspicion.

Petchiammal's daughter, Shanmugasundari, was a confidante and supporter from a young age, knowing her mother's secret since she was 7. In front of outsiders, Shanmugasundari called her mother "Muthu Master" instead of "amma" (mother in Tamil). When her daughter married, Petchiammal arranged the wedding as the father figure. Her son-in-law also knew the secret and helped keep it.

For decades, Petchiammal's daily life as Muthu unfolded without suspicion in her village. Every day, she woke up at 5h, walked one hour to work, farmed until 14h, then returned home to cook and watch television. Ramalingam, a shop owner in the village, confirmed that local residents had never suspected Muthu's gender.

Petchiammal's extraordinary story gained national attention in 2022, after 37 years of living as a man. At 57, her declining health prevented her from continuing heavy labor. She had no home or savings. Because her Aadhaar card, voter ID, and ration book all listed her gender as male, and she lacked her husband's death certificate, she was ineligible for widow's benefits or an old-age pension, despite previously holding a rural employment card under her female name.

Thoothukudi district authorities pledged support, stating they would consider assisting her through specific social welfare programs. However, as of now, the necessary document adjustments have not been completed.

In May, Petchiammal was still living in Kattunaickkanpatti village. Her life stabilized as her daughter had opened a grocery store in the neighboring village. Although the truth had been revealed, Petchiammal affirmed she would keep the name Muthu for the rest of her life.

Ngoc Ngan (According to Times of India, The New Indian Express)