Manjamma Jogati : Padma Shri awardee who popularised rural folk arts
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I – Culture
In news
Manjamma Jogati is a Padma Shri awardee who is a transgender from Karnataka.
She has over the past many decades practised and single-handedly popularised rural folk arts.
Key takeaways
Overcoming personal odds, Manjamma Jogati popularised these art forms, especially the Jogati Nritya and Janapada songs, practiced in rural Karnataka, Maharashtra, and parts of Andhra Pradesh.
She began to identify as a woman in her teens.
She was made a part of a transgender community in rural Deccan that reveres the fiery Goddess Renuka Yellamma.
Members of this community are considered married to the goddess.
The community’s lifestyle and the plight of its members were highlighted in the national award-winning 2009 Marathi movie Jogwa.