EXCLUSIVE: Transgender mom Gauri Sawant narrates her heart wrenching story to Pinkvilla

You've seen the ad, you know the story. Here's what you don't know. Gauri Sawant speaks to us, straight from the heart...

On a hot summer's day, I set out on a mission to discover the world of a transgender mom, Gauri Sawant. I had penned down some questions I had in mind and was ready to explore a world I was debatably ambiguous about. All I knew about her was from the prevailing commercial she was a part of, which showed how she, Gauri, had broken stereotypes and had embraced the call of motherhood. The advertisement was powerful and sent chills down my spine. It left me wanting to know more so that I could share it with the world and so, I gave into my curiosity. 

After a tiresome drive for about an hour, I reached Gauri's home. Since the commercial she shot for went viral, there were media houses who had beaten me to it and were already mid-interview with her. Everyone seemed to be eager, touched and taken up by her unique story. I dropped my bag and silently took a seat in the corner, making sure not to interrupt the on-going flow. 

As I looked around, I observed her simple yet warm home that had only the bare necessities. I glanced over across the room and noticed a bunch of 'hijra's' peeking from behind a plastic sliding door that divided the kitchen from the hall. They admiringly watched Gauri give her interviews and occasionally made eye contact with others seated in the room. 

While most of us are aware, there are a few who still don't know -  'Hijra's' or transgenders are people whose personal sense of being is not in sync with their gender by birth. It can be a case of a man trapped in a woman's body and vice versa or can even be genderqueer.  This community has existed in every culture, race, and class since the time human life has been recorded and yet, is still something a 'regular' person can be uncomfortable with. So you can imagine why a transgender becoming a mother was a topic of controversy and made us all inquisitive. 

Finally, it was my turn. My team that accompanied me, set up the camera's and lights and we were ready to roll. She smiled and asked me, "Are you ready?" to which I nodded...wondering inside, was I really ready? 

"Who was the first person you opened up to about your sexuality?" I asked Gauri. Her deep eyes meeting mine, she said, "When did YOU realised you were 'straight' or 'normal'...who did YOU tell?" I was stumped. It was only the first question and I was dumbfounded. "Uh..um..uh..." I fumbled. She calmly took my hand in hers and said, "To me, I was normal. That was normal." 

Gauri's hard hitting sentence immediately struck a chord with me. It was the perfect start to an interview that changed my life. I had set out to discover Gauri but instead, discovered things about myself. I realised how there was a whole world outside mine and ours that needed to be spoken about. It needed to be given it's due acknowledgement.

Gauri Sawant may not fit into our horrible moulds of what 'normal' is or should be like. Some will understand and some never will. She may not be successful in connecting with and winning the hearts of every single person out there. But you know what? Gauri is winning at life. And that is what really matters.