Manjamma Jogati: Transgender folk dancer who was conferred The Padma Shri

Transgender
folk dancer Matha B Manjamma Jogati was conferred with a Padma Shri award by
President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday. While receiving the award at the ceremony held
at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Manjamma Jogati was seen performing a unique gesture to
greet the President, the video of which has gone viral on social media.

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Who is Matha
B Manjamma Jogati?

Jogati
was born in Ballari district of Karnataka as Manjunatha Shetty. At the age of 15,
she was a part of a ritual in which a devotee is believed to be married to a
god or goddess. Following the ritual, Manjunath became Manjamma Jogathi. She was restricted from
coming back home because of which she faced poverty for several years. She
found love for folk dance and there was no looking back.

Jogati mastered the dance form Jogathi Nrithya through Kallava
Jogathi and soon began performing across Karnataka. She went on to become the
first transgender president of Karnataka Jaanapada Academy, which is a
government body for performing arts in Karnataka.

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On Monday, she was honoured with
a Padma Shri award for her contribution to arts.

“President
Kovind presents Padma Shri to Matha B. Manjamma Jogati for Art. She is the
Chairman of Karnataka Janapada (Folklore) Academy. She has been instrumental in
popularizing the folk art forms practised in rural Karnataka, Maharashtra and
parts of Andhra Pradesh,” President of India’s official Twitter handle stated.

Congratulating Jogati, Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development
Smriti Irani tweeted, “First transwoman
President of
Karnataka Janpada Academy, Manjamma Jogati overcame societal
trauma and made a mark for herself in the field of dance. A Jogati Nritya folk
dancer, she has performed over 1,000 times.”