Matha B. Manjamma Jogati

Matha B. Manjamma Jogati is a folk dancer and singer who in 2019 became chair of the Karnataka Janapada (Folklore) Academy, the first transgender person to lead it. She was named for the Padma Shri in 2021 in the field of art, from Karnataka ^[1].

A hard start

Manjamma was born on 20 May 1957 ^[2]. She belongs to the Jogappa community, transgender devotees of the goddess Yellamma in north Karnataka ^[2]. Her family disowned her because she was transgender, and after leaving home she met her guru, Kalavva Jogati, who taught her the Jogati dance and took her on stage ^[2]. Through poverty and social exclusion she mastered the Jogati Nritya, folk songs and Kannada hymns to goddesses ^[2].

On stage

She has given hundreds of performances across Karnataka and appeared at festivals and cultural events in other states ^[2]. She has trained many students in the form, acted in mythological plays, and been recorded in documentaries, films and on Doordarshan and All India Radio ^[2]. Her work has helped spread folk forms practised in rural Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh ^[2].

Recognition

She received the Karnataka Janapada and Yakshagana Academy award in 2006–07 and the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 2010–11 ^[2]. She was a member of the Janapada Academy from 2017 to 2019 before becoming its chair ^[2].