Seat belt pehno, dua lelo: Watch transgenders give road safety instructions

In a new video that seems to be going viral on the internet, a group of transgenders, dressed in indigo sarees, hair pulled back into neat buns are seen donning the the air-hostess avatar and giving safety instructions. However, they’re not on a flight but on a busy Mumbai street. The video begins with a description of how transgenders or Hijras are generally considered sacred in India and how they are invited in many auspicious occasions so that they can endow their blessings. It goes on to say that most transgenders exchange their blessing for money at traffic signals and that is how they make their living. [caption id=“attachment_1511297” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Courtesy: Youtube[/caption] However, a few seconds into the video we see them do a selfless act as they line up in front of a traffic signal and give road safety instructions for free. In typical air hostess fashion, they begin by saying, " Kripaya Dhyaan dijiye, May I have you attention please". As those sitting in their cars waiting for the signal to turn green, crane out their heads to see what’s going on, they begin their message by saying “agar pilot ke jaise gadi chala rahe ho, toh pilot ke jaise safety bhi chahiye. Teri gadi mein oxygen mask nahi hai. Kursi ke niche life jacket nahi hai. Magar seat belt toh hai! toh pehena kyu nahi re?” [ If you are driving your car like a pilot, you should have the safety that a pilot deserves. You car doesn’t have an oxygen mask, neither does it have a life jacket. But it does have a seat belt. So, why aren’t you wearing it?] After this, they go on to educate the drivers about how to put on a seat belt with a peppy beat as the background score and their signature claps. They also ask the ’naughty girl’ to tell her boyfriend to wear the seat belt. And the chikna maal (the dude) to stop recording their video and put on the seat belt. And in the end they offer their blessing to all those who take their advice and tie the seat belt —  Seat belt peheno, aur dua le jao, they say (put on the seat belt and take our blessings). With more than 135,000 road accidents every year, everyone on the road not only need the seat belts but also the blessings for sure. Watch the video here: