Karnataka Govt Will Honor A Transgender With The Rajyotsava Award For The First Time

Transgenders have been adapting to the deep-rooted prejudices present in the country. But on the other hand, India has witnessed many monumental changes like appointing a first transgender college principal in West Bengal and encouraging them to be a part of the Kolkata Police. Changes like these are curbing the malevolent opinions that we have towards them.

In another milestone move, Karnataka Govt. will be honoring a transgender, Akkai Padmashali, with the Rajyotsava award.

Who is Akkai Padmashali?

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1. She was born as a boy named Jagdish in a middle-class family in Bangalore.

2. At the age of 12, she felt suffocated and decided to become a transgender. Her journey wasn’t hassle-free. She faced sexual violence and worked as a sex worker for 4 years.

3. Being a target of sexual violence, she joined a local NGO and founded Ondede, an organisation that spreads awareness about sexualities, sexual diversity and sexual orientation.

And certainly, she has come a long way. Honoring her with this award after being a part of excruciating struggle is the plausible thing to do.

 

What is the Rajyotsava Award?

It is the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state. It’s conferred annually by the Karnataka Government. The awardees are from different fields – literature, music, dance, theatre, journalism, sports, medicine, education, agriculture, Information Technology and Science.

 

And this year there are 60 winners of the Rajyotsava Award. Other than Akkai, one of them also includes the ISRO chief

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Some notable awardees are:

1. ISRO chairman: A.S Kiran Kumar

2. Cricketer: Vinay Kumar

3. Writer: Aryambha Pattabi

4. Film actor: Sadashiva Brahmavar

5. Film director and comedian: Sadhu Kokila

Each awardee will be getting a purse worth Rs. 1 lakh, 20-gram gold medal, and a citation.

This is really amazing and it makes my heart beam with pride. Given the unremitting dehumanizing attitude that transgenders face, seeing changes like this makes me feel that the day is not behind when we’ll accept the transgenders with open arms.

News Source: The Hindu

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