Published Paper Details:

This paper attempts to analyze trans-gender discrimination and identity crisis as reflected in the the protagonist,Anjum of Arundathi Roy�s 2017 novel The Ministry of the Utmost Happiness. Gender identity is the identity of a person caused by the degree of feminine or masculine traits in a person conforming to the stereotypical definition of a male or female expounded by the society. The gender identity of a person is a psychological aspect of a person reflecting his/her sexual orientations. The fiction, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness follows Anjum, a trans-woman, struggling to make a life for herself in Delhi. It possesses the strong voice of the LGBT community in Modern India. Having different historical contexts, this novel is a reflection to various types of discriminations prevalent in the Indian society such as transgender discrimination that is based on gender identity, women discrimination that is based on male domination, Dalit discrimination based on caste system, Muslim minority discrimination based on religious prejudice and national identity crisis based on multi-ethnic alienation that leads to the issue of identity crisis in the dislocated and disoriented people. The victims of discrimination suffer from personality disorder and feel alienated because they are incapable of synchronizing with the biased society and represent the theme of identity crisis. The description about the application of queer theory in the study of personality to the character of Anjum in Pursuit of the true self is articulated. The construction and use of the hijra figure in fictional literature are utilized both as symbols of deviance and central points around which wider anti-sociality circulates. Hijras continue to fight for their rights whilst attempting to survive in an increasingly marginal social position.