- Aishwarya Rutuparna Pradhan hails from Kanabagiri village in Odisha's Kandhamal district
- She faced humiliation and lack of family support due to her gender identity during school
- She completed a postgraduate degree and studied at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication
Aishwarya Rutuparna Pradhan's journey from a small village in Odisha to public service has been shaped by education, hard work and the courage to live by her identity.
Aishwarya was born as Ratikant Pradhan in Kanabagiri village of Kandhamal district. She has spoken about facing questions and discrimination over her gender identity from a young age. During her school years, comments from teachers and people around her made her education difficult at times. However, she continued to focus on her studies and her goals.
From a village to higher education
After school, Aishwarya moved to Bhubaneswar for higher education. She completed her postgraduate studies in Public Administration and later studied English Journalism at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).
Her college and hostel years also came with challenges. She has spoken about facing jokes, discrimination and difficult situations because of her identity. Despite these experiences, she continued her education and worked towards building a career in public service.
Her mother and sister also supported her as she came to terms with her identity and pursued her ambitions.
Choosing to embrace her identity
April 2014 became an important turning point in Aishwarya's life. She began publicly expressing her identity and started wearing sarees. The decision brought questions and reactions from people around her, but she continued to stand by who she was.
She later worked as a Commercial Tax Officer after clearing the Odisha Financial Service examination in 2010.
Aishwarya's story has since received attention for increasing the visibility of transgender people in government service. Media reports have described her as the first transgender IAS officer in the country.
Her journey from a village in Odisha to public service highlights the role of education and determination in overcoming social barriers. It is also a story of someone who continued to pursue her goals despite facing discrimination because of her gender identity.