Transgender Folk Dancer Manjamma Jogathi Gets Honoured With Padma Shri Award

Matha B Manjamma Jogathi, a member of the transgender community and a folk dancer of Jogamma heritage was awarded a Padma Shri award for her contributions to the art on November 9.

She was given the award by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. Jogathi is the first transwoman President of Karnataka Janapada Academy.

At this year's Padma Awards, 102 recipients were awarded with Padma Shri Awards out of which 29 awardees were women. Jogathi was the only transgender awardee and 16 recipients were posthumously given the honour. There were 10 Padma Bhushan awardees and seven Padham Vibhushan awardees.

The highest civilian honours of India, Padma Awards are annually announced on the eve of Republic Day, January 26. The three categories are Padham Bhushan, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan are given out for distinguished service of higher-order, distinguished service and for exceptional and distinguished service respectively.

The awardees are from all fields of disciplines and activities wherever there is an element of public service involved. The Padma Awards Committee constituted by the Prime Minister of India every year makes recommendations for the awardees.

Industrialist and Padma Bhushan awardee Anand Mahindra shared a tweet on Tuesday in which he talked about how the government has brought a shift in the way the awardees are selected. Calling himself undeserving of the award, he praised the government for awarding individuals who made a significant impact on the grassroots levels.

He shared a picture of environmentalist Tulasi Gowda receiving her Padma Shri from the President of India. Gowda's pictures from the Rashtrapati Bhawan have since been going viral on social media. In one of the pictures, she is seen meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the ceremony. The picture of PM Modi folding hands in front of Gowda spoke to netizens who even called it the 'picture of the day'.

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