Bhanumati is a 21-year-old woman locked in a man's body. They (the gender-neutral pronoun I'll use here, instead of "he" or "she") knew of this discrepancy from childhood. There's a social stigma attached to it, but they were never apologetic. In school, they asserted their right to a separate toilet for trans students. Their wish was granted, and two other students ended up using it too. For Bhanu-mati, using that toilet was never about asserting a third gender — it was simply a matter of pride in who they were.

A native of Agra who grew up in Bangalore, Bhanu-mati now works as head of security at a five-star hotel in Delhi.

They saw me photographing a public event and walked up to ask if I'd shoot their portfolio. "I'm a news photographer," I clarified. Bhanu-mati was undeterred — and I had no reason to doubt them — "I will be a supermodel, the first transgender model from India." They draw inspiration from Gigi and Bella Hadid, the world-famous American sisters and supermodels.

I relented, on their insistence. They are biologically male but a woman in spirit, and still undecided about sex-change surgery — wary of the health risks and complications — though they take hormone medication to bridge the gap of gender duality.

When I photographed them, they seemed to me both man and woman by turns. Their voice, quick and glib, didn't quite match their body — though I suspect that dissonance says more about my own conditioning around gender binaries than about them. Behind the camera, they became a diva; the transition was instant.

They were open to being photographed in the shower, but wouldn't strip, since they hadn't waxed their limbs.

There's no ambiguity here, no confusion — Bhanu-mati is sure of who they are and what they want from life. Last I heard, they'd been injured while protesting in support of students at Jantar Mantar.