Monika Das was once Gopal Kumar and even dressed as a boy. But she is finally coming to terms with the changing gender issues in her life.

The 29-year-old whose family used to be embarrassed that their son loved to dress as a girl is now comfortable with her identity as the first transgender bank professional in the city. She is also gearing up for another chapter in her life, as a sexual reassignment process she is undergoing for two years now makes her more of a woman - an identity she felt closer to - every day.

The employee from Syndicate Bank's Kankerbagh branch broke a glass ceiling and overcame a life-long dilemma when, on June 3, she submitted an affidavit to the bank stating she was a transgender. "Earlier, society recognised just two genders - male or female. There was no place for a third gender. As a student, I was compelled to fill up all educational and professional forms as Gopal Kumar under male category. But following a Supreme Court direction in 2014 that gave due recognition to transgenders as the third gender, I decided to change my name to Monika Das and my gender to transgender," she said. She has submitted an application for a name and gender change with her employer. Her bank manager was all praise for Monika's courage and promised all support.

Monika never felt harassed at the work place, though. "My co-workers are good and very cooperative. They understand me and respect my individuality. At first, customers were confused whether to address me as ma'am or sir. They later got used to addressing me as ma'am," Monika said.

But childhood wasn't easy. "My soul was that of a girl. I liked dressing up as a girl and felt uncomfortable in the company of boys. Cricket and other sports never interested me. Passers-by would sometimes pass comments or laugh at me, because I was not normal according to them. My parents loved me, but were also embarrassed because of me at times. Two of my brothers don't talk to me properly," Monika said.

She even had to often avoid family functions as people's eyes followed her everywhere. "I don't want people to comment on my family because of me. As a child, it was not difficult. I could disguise myself. But now the ordeal is unacceptable. On the one hand, I am applying for recognition as a transgender, while on the other hand I can't betray my conscience by dressing up like a man," she said.

"But, I've made up my mind. My soul and mind are that of a girl and soon my body, too, would be." She is undergoing a sexual reassignment process for two years now. "The surgery would help me transform physically. Right now, only my soul is that of a woman. Once this process is complete, my body, too, would be a woman's," she says.

Monika did her schooling from Navodaya Vidyalaya and Masters in Law from Patna Law College. She joined the Fatua branch of Syndicate Bank in 2007 as a clerk and was transferred to the Patna branch last October.