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Living Smile Vidya (Tamil: லிவிங் ஸ்மைல் வித்யா) (born March 25,1982) Living Smile Vidya a.k.a Smiley, is a transwoman, who is a full time theatre actor, essay writer, poet, sketch artiste, assistant director in the Tamil film industry and the Founder and Director of “Panmai Theatre”.[1]
Living Smile Vidya. | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 March 1982 |
| Years active | 2007-present |
Life and carreer
[edit]Living Smile Vidya is a trans-daughter of Mr.Ramasamy and Mrs.Veerammal born in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. She completed B.Sc ( in Computer science) from Bishop Heber College, Trichy, and M.A (in Applied Linguistics) from Tamil University, Tanjore, Tamilnadu in 2004. She currently lives in Chennai.
She had chose "Living Smile Vidya" as her name because she wanted her name to sound ‘happy.' Having lived in a male body that felt “alien” through out her childhood and teens, right after completing MA degree in linguistic, Living Smile Vidya leave her home to go through sex change operation to transform herself from male to female. Her journey to attain her true gender identity is recorded in her autobiography "I am vidya."
She is the first Transwoman who legally fight to change her name and gender from Tamil Nadu state government gazette to her passport. That opened a possibility in legal terms to transgender’s rights. She continues to advocate for basic rights of Transwomen and Transmen with reservation. She has worked as an assistant director in Mysskin's Nandalala. A film which dealt with a young boy and a mentally challenged person going in search of their respective mothers. The film Nandalala become critically acclaimed and won the people's choice award at the Norway Film Festival.
Awards
[edit]Living Smile Vidya awarded "Charles Wallace India Trust scholarship" [2] 2013 by British Council for her excellence in Theatre.
Kannada translation of her book “Naanu avanu alla avalu” (I am not HIM, I’m HER) got Indian Government’s Sakithya Academy Award in the category of best Kannada translation award for the year 2012.
The book is adapted into a Kannada documentry movie "."Naanu Avanalla...Avalu" [3]
Awarded “Tharai Pullikkarar Charity’s Best Literature Award for her autobiography “Naan Vidya” 2009”
Honors
[edit]- Smiley is the first Transwoman in Tamil Nadu who worked in a mainstream, private bank recognized as a transwoman in 2006.
- "I am Vidya" [4] is the India’s first transgender autobiography.
- I am Vidya was the 2nd best-selling book of the year 2008 in Chennai Book Fair.
- I am Vidya is in the syllabus of B.A. English in Stella Maris College, Chennai And American College, Madurai, India.
- Two chapters of "I am Vidya" performed in a theatre event called stray factory blogologues.
- Her poem titled “Maranam mattuma maranam” ( Is death alone a death?) was awarded best poem by an online magazine Thenkoodu in 2006
Filmography
[edit]Viratham (malayalam film) Associate director
Nandalala (Tamil film) Assistant Director (2010).
Reference
[edit]
http://www.thehindulfl.com/speakers/living-smile-vidya
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/vidya-scripts-her-path/article2517305.ece
http://silverscreen.in/features/in-the-shadows-a-conversation-with-living-smile-vidhya/