She lights up the room

Nisha Ayub was meant to be in front of a crowd.

I watched her sing last night at a benefit for World Aids Day, (December 1^st 2011).  Nisha was part of a group of performers.  Every person was talented but Nisha’s performance was special.  She filled the room with her presence.  She chose her own rendition of “Colors of the Wind,” from the movie Pocahontas and called it “Colors of the World.”  It was creative and fitting for the occasion.

Shaz from the PT foundation wowing the crowd with a colourful performance

I only met Nisha yesterday at the Pink Triangle office where she works, but she and Sulastree were welcoming right away.  They filled me in on their schedules and Nisha invited me to hear her sing that very evening.  What a treat!

But when I say Nisha was meant to be in front of a crowd, I don’t just mean performing.  She has dedicated her life to becoming an advocate for the transgendered community.  As part of her job as Programme Manager with the Pink Triangle Foundation, Nisha often speaks at functions.  She also organizes events associated with the transgendered community in her spare time.  That means she’s a very busy lady!

To Nisha, it’s worth her spare time to spread a message of tolerance and understanding.  Because in an environment where everyone seeks to understand his/her neighbours, we are more free to reach our true potential, free of criticism and discrimination.  As Pocahontas would say, “How high will the sycamore grow?  If you cut it down, then you’ll never know!”

The more time I spend here on the other side of the world, the more I realise how much all of us have in common.





By: Morgan Reed