Vijayarajamallika, known as Daivathinte Makal, is a
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
poet in
Malayalam literature
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...
,
She is a writer, teacher, social worker, inspirational speaker, and activist.
Early life, family and education
Vijayarajamallika was born in 1985 at
Muthuvara,
Thrissur district,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, to Kaniyamkonatth Veettil Y. Krishnan, a retired superintendent of
Kerala State Electricity Board
Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is an Indian public sector undertaking under the Government of Kerala that generates, transmits and distributes electricity in the state under government monopoly. Established in 1957, the agency comes unde ...
(KSEB); and Jaya Krishnan, a teacher.
Her primary education was at
Kendriya Vidyalaya, Puranattukara
Kendriya Vidyalaya, Puranattukara is a Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan school in Thrissur City under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. Situated at the valley of the " Vilangankunnu", this institution is a pride to the ...
.
She completed a bachelor of arts degree in English Literature and History from
St. Thomas College, Thrissur
St. Thomas' College (Autonomous), Thrissur is a government aided college located in Thrissur, Kerala, India. It is founded by Mar Adolph Medlycott in 1889. It is the oldest college in the Erstwhile Princely State of Cochin and present day Th ...
with the second rank from the
University of Calicut
The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a State ownership, state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to ...
in 2005.
In 2009 she completed
Master of Social Work (MSW) from
Rajagiri College of Social Sciences
Rajagiri College of Social Sciences is an autonomous higher educational institution located in Kalamassery, Kochi in the Indian state of Kerala.
History
Rajagiri College of Social Sciences was started in 1955 under the University of Madras. In ...
.
Vijayarajamallika describes herself as being "a woman in my heart…even though I was in the male body".
Vijayarajamallika is an
intersex
Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...
person with
Klinefelter syndrome
Klinefelter syndrome (KS), also known as 47,XXY, is an aneuploid genetic condition where a male has an additional copy of the X chromosome. The primary features are infertility and small, poorly functioning testicles. Usually, symptoms are su ...
or 47 XXY, which she discovered at the age of 32 after doing
Karyotyping
A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of metaphase chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is disce ...
from
Government Medical College, Kozhikode
Government Medical College, Kozhikode, also known as Calicut Medical College (CMC), is a school of medicine in Kozhikode (formerly Calicut) in the Indian state of Kerala. The college was established in 1957 as the second medical college in Keral ...
.
She says that "knowing that she is an intersex is the proudest moment in her life"
She was married to Jashim, a software engineer. It was a controversial love marriage. The parents and relatives of Jashim were opposed to the marriage which was held in the office of
Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad
Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) (meaning: ''Kerala Science Literature Movement'') is a progressive outfit in the state of Kerala, India. It was conceived as a people's science movement. At the time of its founding in 1962 it was a 40-membe ...
state committee at
Thrissur
Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...
.
Career
''Daivathinte Makal'' (''Daughter of God''), her first collection of poetry, has been included in the
syllabus
A syllabus (; plural ''syllabuses'' or ''syllabi'') or specification is a document that communicates information about an academic course or class and defines expectations and responsibilities. It is generally an overview or summary of the curric ...
of a course at the Department of Malayalam at
Madras University
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...
.
The poem, "Maranantharam" from ''Daivathinte Makal'' was included in the curriculum of
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala
Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), commonly referred to as MG University, is a state owned public university headquartered in Kottayam in the state of Kerala, India. It was established on 2 October 1983 on Gandhi Jayanti day. Mahatma Gandhi Uni ...
,
and another poem, "Neelambari" from ''Daivathinte Makal'', was included in the curriculum of
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit
The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a Sanskrit university in India established in 1993 in Kalady, Kerala. It provides education in Sanskrit, other Indian and Foreign languages, Social science and fine arts. It is accredited ...
.
"Maranantharam" a notable poem from this book was translated into English by N. P. Ashley and was published in the book ''The World that Belongs to Us'' by
Harper Collins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Corp ...
.
Vijayarajamallika is the founder of Sahaj International, India's first transgender alternative learning center which worked in collaboration with the
National Institute of Open Schooling
The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), formerly National Open School (name changed in 2002), is the board of education under the Union Government of India. It was established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Gove ...
(NIOS) at
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
. She winded up Sahaj International as Kerala Government incorporated transgender education through the Kerala State Literacy Mission.
''Aan Nadhi'' (''Male River''), her second poetry collection, was published by Mythri Books
Thiruvanathapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its List of renamed Indian cities and states, former name Trivandrum (), is the Capital city, capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as ...
. It describes the life and struggles of
LGBTIAQ+ people with special reference to transgender and Intersex communities.
Aan Nadhi was significant in contributing ten new words to Malayalam Literature.
Vijayarajamallika's autobiography ''Mallikavasantham'' is the first transgender autobiography in Malayalam literature.
She won the Swami Vivekanadhan Yuva Prathibha Award for literature in 2019
instituted by the Kerala State Youth Welfare Board for this autobiography. It also bagged the first ever Leela Menon literary award in the category of autobiography.
"Aanalla Pennalla Kanmani nee" is a lullaby penned by Vijayarajamallika which is reported to be the first intersex
lullaby
A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...
in the history of
World Literature
World literature is used to refer to the total of the world's national literature and the circulation of works into the wider world beyond their country of origin. In the past, it primarily referred to the masterpieces of Western European lit ...
.
Daivathinte Makal won the
Yuvakala Sahithi Vayalar Award in 2019.
The State of Kerala has honored her for her contributions and achievements in the field of literature from the transgender community during the ‘Varnapakittu 2019’, the first-ever transgender arts festival organized by the social justice department.
Ormayil Ragini is an yearly event organized by Vijayarajamallika in memory of actress
Ragini.
Bibliography
* ''Daivathinte Makal'' (collection of poems)
* ''Aan Nadi'' (collection of poems)
* ''Mallikavasantham'' (autobiography)
* ''Aanalla Penalla Kanmani'' (''Intersex Lullaby'')
* ''A Word to Mother''
*''Pennayavalude Kavithakal''
*Lilithinu Maranamilla (collection of poems)
*Mattorupennala Njan (collection of poems)
Awards
* Arali Award (2016)
*
Yuvakalasahithi Vayalar Kavitha Award (Daivatthinte Makal, 2019)
* Swami Vivekanadhan Yuva Prathibha Award for Literature (2019)
* First Leela Menon literary award in the category of autobiography (2021)
References
External links
Daily HuntMallika Vasantham
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vijayarajamallika
1985 births
Living people
Indian women poets
Indian LGBT poets
Transgender poets
21st-century Indian poets
21st-century Indian women writers
Intersex writers
Intersex women