About Kalki

Kalki is the Founder of ‘Sahodari Foundation’ an organization working for the social, economic and political empowerment of transgender persons in India. A transgender rights activist,an actor and a transsexual woman herself, Kalki holds two Master’s degrees - First one in Journalism and Mass Communication and the second in International Relations.

As a transgender person, she grew up with stigma and insult in schools and colleges where she pursued her studies, but that had only made her as a strong person. She fiercely campaigns for social, political, and economic equity and rights of transgender and intersex people.

Through Sahodari, she works with in the transgender community on several issues, for example, by creating empowerment programmes like entrepreneurship training which can positively change the poor transgenderand intersex people’s livelihood choices – a life away from begging, a life with dignity. With the public, she advocates against transgender discrimination and hatred and voices for inclusion of transgender and intersex people at all levels. She has lectured in numerous seminars, colleges and universities in India and USA.

On the professional side, Kalki is an actress and also makes short documentary films and is also the editor of the Tamil magazine for transgender women called 'Thirunangai'. She works as an independent Media Specialist. She develops web based projects and is a script writer for documentary and animation films. She is currently working two of her books, a novel and a semi autobiography.

On February 21st 2009, Kalki was awarded the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by the Lioness Club of Chennai in appreciation of her transgender rights advocacy work. She was also chosen by 'Ananda Vikatan' Tamil magazine as the 'Top Ten Nambikkaikal' (Youth hopes) for the year 2009. She is one among the three India women listed as Transsexual Successes in Transsexual Women’s Successes
Directory.

 

In October 2010, Ms.Kalki was invited by the government of the United States of America for a 16 days Human Rights activism & Awareness program through IVLP to Washington DC, New York and SaltLake City. She is the first transsexual foreign national to be invited by the United States government.

Kalki at the Leadership Conference Office, Washington DC

Kalki signed up a film in a lead role in October after coming back from the USA. Her debut in Tamil films happens with 'Narthaki', an offbeat film about the life journey of a transsexual woman - her quest for happiness, love and finding her identity. She became the first transsexual film star in the world to do a lead role in a major feature film.

Read Kalki’s biography (not updated) .
Read Kalki’s English blog
Read Kalki’s Tamil blog
View Kalki’s personal album
View Kalki’s media appearances
Go to Kalki's personal website

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