Gagan Bihari Das, the son of Dhulamani Das and Renubala Das, was born in 1984 in the village of Posala, under Shankheswar area of Jagatsinghpur district. He belonged to a poor family. His father worked as a daily laborer to feed the family. Gagan had two elder brothers and four younger sisters, out of whom two sisters died in childhood. It was a big struggle for his father to support a family of seven.In the life story of the third gender individual Chinmayee, the transformation from the name Gagan Bihari Das to Chinmayee Das is as fascinating as it is painful. At the time of Gagan’s birth, his parents were filled with joy, but this joy gradually turned into sorrow as the child grew up. Although Gagan was born with male physical features, his behavior and interests were feminine. He used to sweep the house, wash utensils, help his mother in the kitchen, wear a bindi on the forehead, and was more attracted to girls’ clothes than boys’. These habits left his parents worried, but they could do nothing about it.From an early age, Gagan displayed characteristics of the third gender. As he grew up, other children teased and mocked him with names like “Maitia,” “Chhakka,” and “Hijra.” Yet these insults made little difference to him. When he turned six or seven, he realized he was actually transgender, though as a child he did not understand what that meant.Since his village did not have a high school, he went to his uncle’s home in Erikundal and took admission in Jawahar Smruti Vidyapitha. It was there he truly learned what it meant to be a third-gender person. Teachers and classmates humiliated him, and even the school headmaster misbehaved with him and threatened to fail him when he resisted.Later, in search of work, Gagan went to Bhubaneswar with a friend and joined a marketing company. There he was exploited—given more work than others and paid no salary, only food and clothes. The manager forced him to stay with him and abused him physically and mentally.In 2000, the manager lied that Gagan’s family had died in a cyclone and forced him to go to Puri for purification rituals. Innocent Gagan believed him. In Puri, under the manager’s control, he was forced to take an oath never to return home. Eventually, Gagan realized the truth and fled to Angul. There began the second struggle of his life.He stayed at a hotel for some days, then worked as a helper in a vehicle, then started dancing in wedding processions dressed as a woman. He somehow completed his matriculation examination after the 1999 super cyclone and later engaged in teaching poor children up to class five for free in his village.During his stay in Bhubaneswar, he joined fashion shows where third-gender individuals were included. There he changed his name from Gagan Bihari Das to Chinmayee Das. Gradually, Chinmayee earned respect through selfless social service.During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinmayee served the patients with great courage. While others refused to cremate virus victims, she personally performed the cremation of 41 bodies. She also cared for leprosy, cancer, and AIDS patients, cleaned and treated the wounds of the untouchables without hesitation, raised funds by begging to buy medicine for the poor, cleaned garbage in villages, vaccinated beggars, prevented forest fires by spreading awareness, fed birds during summer, and provided free education and meals to slum children. She and her volunteers also helped victims of accidents and house fires, as well as stray animals like cows and bulls.Chinmayee later founded the Manaba Seba Charitable Trust, through which she organized medical help for the poor, ambulance support for accident victims, and rehabilitation for leprosy patients. Over time, she became well known among health officials, administrators, and social workers in Angul district.She also led public movements like repairing damaged roads with villagers, organizing women’s groups to fight against alcohol abuse, and protesting against violence on women. With her efforts, the Angul District Hospital established a separate ward with two beds for third-gender persons.Currently, Chinmayee cares for 15 poor children and 15 elderly people in her shelter. She has cremated over 400 unclaimed bodies, donated blood 17 times, and served more than 1,500 leprosy patients. She has rescued hundreds of accident victims and arranged emergency hospital admission for them.Every day, she continues to serve poor patients at the Angul District Hospital. Chinmayee often says, “If a person can smile even after losing, then the winner loses the joy of victory. That is the power of a smile.” She believes one should not regret what could not be done yesterday but should focus on what can be done today.For her outstanding social service, Chinmayee Das has received honors from Odisha’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Governor Ganeshi Lal. She has also been featured in the London Book of Records and received numerous awards and recognitions for her dedication and humanity.