Transgenders are believed to bring luck and prosperity in the lives of people with their wishes. It was a matter of pride for the community when a Transgender Folk artist from Karnataka went on to become a Padma Shri Awardee.
She got the award for her contributions to the field of Folk Dance. She received the award from President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday. A video went viral where she is making a gesture with her sari’s ‘Pallu’ to wish good luck to the president.
But, that smile has concealed lots of struggles in life. She is an Indian Kannada theatre actress, singer, and dancer of Jogti Nritya. It is a Folk Dance form of North Karnataka. In 2019, she was the first trans woman to head The Karnataka Janapada Academy.
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She was born on April 18, 1964 (age 57) in
Kallukamba, Ballari, Karnataka. She studied SSLC in Davanagere till class 10. When she was 15, she began to identify herself as a woman. So, she was made a part of the Jogappa ritual at the age of 15. It is a ritual where a devotee is considered married to a God or Goddess.
As a result, she was restricted from coming back home. In the following years, she faced poverty and abuse. She just draped a saree and went out on the streets to beg for a living. She was sexually abused and that made her contemplate suicide.
She then met with a father-son duo who taught her dancing and gave her a reason to live. So, the silver lining was the time when she realized her passion for Folk Dance.
Later, she went on to become a permanent dancer in Kaalavva’s Jogti dance group. This group performs across the state of Karnataka. After the death of Kaalavva, she took over the reins of the group and made their Dance more popular. The government of Karnataka awarded her with the Rajyotsava award in 2010.
Her life story became a part of Karnataka’s Folklore University and Karnataka State Women’s University syllabus for its students of Bachelor of Arts.
Speaking about her Akkai Padmashali, a well-known Indian transgender activist, said, “As far as Manjamma’s award is concerned, I am equally happy as she is representing the entire community. I, and on behalf of the community, thank the Government of India which has considered the contribution of the transgender community by honouring Manjamma.”
The award ceremony for the Padma Awards was also attended by the Vice President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This year, there are seven Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan, and 102 Padma Shri Awards, of which 29 awardees are women, 16 posthumous awardees, and one transgender awardee.
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