"Jogati Manjamma is an award-winning transgender folk artist who was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2019.
Harsha Bhat is an associate editor at Swarajya. She graduated in mass media from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and did her post-graduation in linguistics from the University of Mumbai. She writes on a diverse range of topics. "
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"As a young Manjamma lay unconscious after a suicide attempt, she could not have imagined that one day she would receive a Padma Shri from the President of India. A transgender folk artist and president of the Karnataka Folk Academy, her life-journey has been nothing short of epic.
When as a young boy, Manjunath discovered he felt more like a woman, he was ostracised and mocked by his family and peers. The transformation into Manjamma, a performer of the Jogati Nritya, was a testimony to her grit and determination. Jogati Nritya is the dance form of the Jogappa transgender community, and Manjamma became its leading proponent, popularizing it at the national stage.
From being stripped of her modesty to being given one of the highest civilian honours of the country, Manjamma’s is an inspiring, heart-rending story that she tells in this book with great candour and remarkable honesty."
