Ask any resident of Ulaganeri, on the outskirts of Madurai, for directions to the home of Jeyachithra and pat will come the answer, “Oh, that is Jeya Amma’s house,’ pointing to a large, white building.
The building is home to Ms. Jeyachithra and 15 other transwomen, and Nambu Nayaki Catering Service that she has run successfully for the last seven years, overcoming stigma and down right rejection. But to the people of Ulaganeri, Ms. Jeyachithra is better known as ‘ Amma ’ who feeds the poor.
“We mostly get orders from the underprivileged, as we are economical. But then again, lawyers at the Madurai High Court are familiar with my kai pakkuvam (unique taste) and hence they place orders,” says Ms. Jeyachithra, with matter-of-fact pride.
While her chicken biryani is the most sought after, Ms. Jeyachithra is an expert in cooking other non-vegetarian delicacies, including mutton kofta , meen kozhambu and nandu gravy.
The catering unit is much in demand not just for social occasions like weddings, baby showers, and birthday parties, but also for meetings of political parties.
Recalling her early years in the city when she was forced to take up menial jobs for survival, Ms. Jeyachitra says her fortunes changed after she managed to get the job of a cook at the home of a businessman. “He was the first person who told me that cooking could be taken up as a profession,” she says.
Her first major order was for a political party meeting, with the leaders having already tasted her lip-smacking food items. As word spread, business started picking up and the orders haven’t stopped since.
“Be it any function in our area, Jeya Amma would be the first person to be invited,” says T. Bama, a resident of Ulaganeri. “When we place an order with Amma, we know it will be tasty and we also consider it to be lucky,” she says.
P. Prabhakaran, founder of Angel Devaki Old Age Home at Karuppayurani, who has ordered food from Ms. Jeyachithra on multiple occasions in the last five years, says, “She prepares food with special care to meet the needs of the elderly. She even prepares easily digestible mutton biryani.”
The large residence, which currently houses the transwomen, is a testament to Ms. Jeyachithra’s success despite the odds. “Building a house, where my community members can live peacefully, has always been my top priority,” she says.
Apart from the catering work, the other transwomen take up other work to help repay the loan on their home.
Despite the success, Ms. Jeyachitra still faces barriers to her business. “Though people praise the taste and quality of our food, our clients are restricted only to people who are familiar with us. When we approach others for orders, many reject us due to the stigma that we bring bad omen and still others consider eating food prepared by transgenders polluting,” she says.
But this has not deterred Ms. Jeyachithra. “As a family, we will achieve our long list of goals,” she says confidently.
