New Delhi: A video of President Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Padma Shri to Manjamma Jogati, the first trans-president of the Karnataka Janapada Academy, for her contribution to the arts has gone viral.
In the video, Manjamma Jogati can be seen walking towards the President to receive the prestigious civilian honour. As Jogati approaches him, Jogati makes a gesture that many on social media say was to wish President Kovind luck.
The gesture was met with loud applause from the audience comprising Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, PM Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among others.
Referring to Jogati, a tweet by Rashtrapati Bhavan said that she has been instrumental in popularizing the folk art forms practised in rural Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh.
In her 60s, Matha B Manjamma Jogati is a folk dancer and has mastered several art forms, including Jogati Nritya and Janapada songs. Jogati is also known for singing spell-binding sonnets in Kannada in praise of female deities.
Born in a village near Bellary in Karnataka as Manjunath Shetty, Manjamma Jogati has identified herself as a woman ever since childhood. Jogati’s family took the child to the Huligeyamma temple near Hospet, where Jogati was initiated as a Jogappa.
The Jogappa is a community of transpersons who dedicate themselves to the service of Goddess Renuka Yellamma. As per folklore, members of the Jogappa community are considered married to the goddess.
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