Ostracised, dejected for years, this Jogappa finally gets recognition

Sixty-one-year-old Jogati Manjamma is from Kallukamba, Kurugodu taluk in Ballari, and is one of the recipients of the Kittur Rani Chennamma Award for her contributions to art.
Manjamma Jogati, a transgender who received the  Kittur Rani Chennamma Award. (Photo | EPS)
Manjamma Jogati, a transgender who received the  Kittur Rani Chennamma Award. (Photo | EPS)

BENGALURU: “If I were a man or a woman I would not have had these many children. As a Jogappa, I have earned many children’s love across the state where I teach Jogati Nrithya. Along with other Jogappas, I am also taking care of three children and it is a very satisfying job,’’ said Manjamma Jogati, a transgender who received the Kittur Rani Chennamma Award on Friday, in Bengaluru.

Sixty-one-year-old Jogati Manjamma is from Kallukamba, Kurugodu taluk in Ballari, and is one of the recipients of the award for her contributions to art. “When I realised that I wanted to be a woman, I had to face a lot of resistance at home. They beat me up, took me to an astrologer and even offered Pooja at various villages. One day, they wanted to throw me out of my home. After consulting many people, they gave me Deekshe and I became a Jogappa,’’ she said. But when she came back home, her family insulted her and she was forced to get out of the house.

Manjamma then went to Davangere and started begging to earn a living. “In the late 1980s, one day with little money, I bought some poison and drank it. I was hospitalised and my family members took me home. But the abusing and mental harassment did not stop. So I got out again and started sleeping in temples. That’s where I met a well-wisher, who offered me the job of selling idlis. I used to sell these at nearby villages. For one rupee, I would sell four idlis. In the evenings I used to take tuitions,’’ she said.

It was then that she met Kalavva Jogati, a transgender and a Jogati Nritya performer. This art form is a ritual dance that is performed by a group of transgenders, known as Jogappas, to appease Goddess Yellamma. “She taught me ‘Choudaki Pada’ songs, ‘Jogati dance’ and other historical dramas. With her troupe, I have performed more than 1,000 shows,’’ she added.

Today, she has got recognition from the government and is a recipient of the Rajyotsava award and the Janapada Academi award. At Mariyammanahalli in Ballari, along with 11 other Jogatis, she is taking care of three children.

Cut short state anthem, demands writer

Noted writer Kamala Hampana on Friday urged Kannada and Culture minister Jayamala Ramachandra to cut short the duration of the state anthem to less than a minute. On women’s day, Kamala Hampana was one of the recipients of the Kittur Rani Chennamma awards. She received the award from Jayamala, who is also the minister for Women and Child Welfare.  “We can pick the first and the last paragraph. This can be sung within a minute. We have been arguing over this since SM Krishna’s time, it needs to be implemented.” she added.

KIA first Indian airport to have women firefighters

The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), operator of the Kempegowda International Airport, ushered in International Women’s Day in advance by inducting 14 women firefighters into its Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting squad. This makes Bengaluru airport the first in the country to have women firefighters. An official release today said that they were inducted into the squad on February 19. It is probably the first Asian airport to have a female contingent of this size. The firefighting squad has traditionally been a male-dominated field.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com