UpdateBot at 22:22, 13 June 2022

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{{short description|Activist}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}

{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Kalki Subramaniam
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Kalki--Subramaniam.jpg
| birth_place = [[Pollachi]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| nationality = Indian
| occupation = Activist, actor, and artist
| years_active = Since 2005
}}

'''Kalki Subramaniam''' is a [[Transgender rights in Tamil Nadu|transgender rights activist]], artist, actress, writer, inspirational speaker and entrepreneur from [[Tamil Nadu]].

== Early life ==
Kalki was born in Pollachi, a town in Tamil Nadu.<ref>[http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TSsuccesses/Kalki/Kalki.html] My Story, by Kalki</ref> Born into a working-class family, Kalki was an academically bright student and topped her class. Kalki holds two master's degrees: Masters in Journalism Mass Communication and Masters in International Relations. During her postgraduate studies, she started publishing a monthly magazine in Tamil for transgender women called ''Sahodari'' (which means sister). This is the first Tamil magazine published for transgender people in India.<ref>[http://www.kalkisubramaniam.com/about.aspx] Kalki Subramaniam| About</ref> Kalki also lived in [[Auroville]] for many years.

== Activism ==
From 2005, Kalki has campaigned for transgender rights in India. She is known for her innovative activism using technology, art, films, and literature as tools to voice for transgender empowerment. She was one of India's well-known campaigners behind the Supreme Court of India's judgment legalizing transgender identity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/cutting-phallus-and-destroying-binaries-transgender-activist-kalkis-battle-through-art-44694|title=Cutting Phallus, destroying binaries - TheNewsminute.com|date=11 June 2016}}</ref> In 2009 when a popular matrimonial website rejected the matrimonial listing of a transgender woman, she took it as a challenge and launched India's first matrimonial website for transgender people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/videos/india/transexuals-website-323933.html|title=India's first transsexual matrimony site launched - News18.com}}</ref> The project was later closed due to lack of financial support. She has created more than 12 documentary films on LGBT rights and has also appeared in international documentary films.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/breaking-free/article6941000.ece|title=Breaking Free - The Hindu|newspaper=The Hindu|date=28 February 2015|last1=Parthasarathy|first1=Sindhuja}}</ref> In 2010, she trained many underprivileged transgender women in community journalism and encouraged them to make short documentary films telling their own stories.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/india-transgender-journalists-kalki/indias-transgender-journalists-give-voice-to-community-idUSKBN1420ER|title=India's transgender journalists give voice to community - Reuters|newspaper=Reuters|date=13 December 2016}}</ref> When she lived in Auroville, she protested against encroachments of village lands by Auroville.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vikatan.com/government-and-politics/local-bodies/96732-|title=ஆரோவில் அலறல் தடுக்கச் சென்றால் தாக்குகிறார்கள்! -Vikatan.com}}</ref> In October 2019, Kalki organised the first [[LGBTQI]] pride march in [[Coimbatore]] city of Tamil Nadu.

== Entrepreneurial ventures ==
In 2008, Kalki founded the [[Sahodari Foundation]], an organization that advocates for transgender people in [[India]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sahodari.org/about_sahodari.html|title=About Sahodari Foundation - Sahodari.org}}</ref> In 2017, Subramaniam found the Transhearts art project, through which she has trained more than 200 transgender people in creating expressive artworks supporting their livelihood through workshops.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://transhearts.org/about|title=About Transhearts - Transhearts.org}}</ref>

== Film career ==
In 2011, Kalki starred in a lead role in a [[Tamil language|Tamil]] film, ''[[Narthagi]],'' which focused around the lives of transgender people. She made a special appearance in the 2018 film ''[[Sarkar (2018 film)|Sarkar]]'' in the song "Oru Viral Puratchi" which made her very popular.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/news/more-from-india/in-conversation-with-a-transgender-activist-and-worlds-first-transsexual-film-star-148038.html|title=In Conversation With A Transgender Activist And World's First Transsexual Film Star|work=indiatimes.com|date=15 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="dnaindia.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-choosing-to-be-a-woman-2061060|title=Choosing to be a woman|date=15 February 2015|work=DNA}}</ref> She is the first transgender woman in India to do a lead role in a motion picture.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/bhopal-gets-drenched-in-rainbow-colours/articleshow/58746571.cms|title=Bhopal gets drenched in Rainbow Colours: Bhopal Pride Parade - Times of India|work=The Times of India|access-date=2018-04-25}}</ref> In 2019, Subramaniam acted in a lead role in a parallel Hindi feature film named [[Kalashnikov - The Lone Wolf]] which won the best film jury honours at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/kalki-subramaniams-maiden-film-wins-award-in-new-delhi/articleshow/69162355.cms|title=Kalki Subramaniam's film wins award in New Delhi- Times of India|date=2019-05-10|work=Times Of India|access-date=2019-05-10}}</ref>

== Art ==
Kalki's artworks are considered vibrant and colourful. She has been invited to USA, Canada, Netherlands, and Germany to speak on art and activism.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/My-gender-is-not-my-only-identity-Kalki-Subramaniam/articleshow/53248703.cms|title=My gender is not my only identity: Kalki Subramaniam - Times of India|work=The Times of India|access-date=2018-04-25}}</ref> In 2016, Subramaniam sold her paintings through a crowdfunding campaign and funded the education of underprivileged transgender women.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ritzmagazine.in/transgender-activist-seeks-crowdfunding/|title=Transgender activist seeks crowdfunding - RITZ|work=RITZ magazine|access-date=2016-08-25}}</ref> She uses art to find a voice without words, providing transgender victims of sexual and physical abuse a freedom to express their pain through art called the Red Wall Project, also known as the Shut Up! Show.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sahodari.org/the-red-wall-project|title=The Red Wall Project|work=Sahodari Foundation|access-date=2019-10-25}}</ref> Hundreds of transgender people have participated in the project across the different States of India and wrote their testimonials on a white paper with a red palm impression to show protest against sexual exploitation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/angry-indian-goddesses/article26664585.ece|title=When transgender people tell their pain through Art - The Hindu|work=The Hindu|access-date=2018-03-29}}</ref> In November 2019, Kalki paid a tribute art show to the late Bollywood actress [[Sridevi]] by exhibiting digital portraits of Sridevi. She mentioned that Sridevi has been her inspiration since childhood.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/a-fans-tribute-to-a-legend/article30030742.ece|title=A fan's tribute to a legend - The Hindu|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref>

== The Redwall project ==
The Redwall is a project that was found in 2018 by Kalki to make the voices of the transgender and gender-diverse people of India powerful. Kalki and the team of Sahodari Foundation have been interviewing more than 500 transgender and gender-diverse survivors of sexual abuse and assault from various states of India including People living with HIV (PLHIV), documenting their experiences as first-person accounts lives in depth. The stories transgender people painful experiences of bullying, rape and assault are documented by the team. This is a community art project where the participant writes the experience on a handmade paper and imprints their red palm on it. These testimonials are exhibited in academic institutions and galleries for public viewing and to show resistance against abuse.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/the-red-wall-projects-art-exhibition-in-kerala-capital-lends-a-voice-to-members-of-lgbtqi-community/article30212418.ece|title=The Red Wall Project's art exhibition lends a voice to the LGBTQI community|date=2019-06-29|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-10-09|language=en-UK}}</ref>

== Publications ==
In 2015, Kalki's collection of Tamil poems on transgender lives titled Kuri Aruthean (குறி அறுத்தேன்) was published by [[Vikatan Publications]]. The collection consisted of 25 poems with line-drawings by Kalki.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/transgender-kalki-subramaniam-becomes-writer/article6757021.ece|title=Voices from the other side|date=2015-01-05|work= The Hindu|access-date=2018-04-20|language=en-US}}</ref> She has also written number of articles and essays in online and print publications. In 2018, three of her poems from the poetry collection Kuri Aruthean were translated in German language and published in an art journal. Six of her poems from the book were adopted into poetic short films titled Vadu (The Scar) directed by herself.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/i-think-its-time-transgenders-came-to-power-kalki-subramaniam/articleshow/63453605.cms|title=I think it's time transgenders came to power: Kalki Subramaniam - Times of India|work=The Times of India|access-date=2018-04-25}}</ref> She has also written many articles in Indian print and online publications on LGBT rights in India.

== Recognition ==
In 2010, Kalki received international recognition when she was the official guest of the United States of America as a Human Rights Activist through [[IVLP]] and was honoured in the United Nations Office in New York City for her social work.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/i-want-voice-to-be-the-voice-for-the-voiceless/articleshow/53848144.cms|title=I want voice to be the voice for the voiceless|date=2017-03-07|work= Bangalore Mirror|access-date=2017-03-07|language=en-US}}</ref> She is also a recipient of achievers award from Coimbatore Lawyers Association.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.indusscrolls.com/for-these-transgenders-art-is-the-weapon-in-their-fight-for-dignity|title=For these transgenders, art is the weapon in their fight for dignity|work=Induscrools.in|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2014, she was chosen by Facebook as one of the 12 inspiring women of the world who used [[Facebook]] for community development.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2098225/international-womens-day-facebook/|title=These women are so inspiring, even Facebook wants to share their stories - Mtv.com|website=[[MTV]]}}</ref> In 2016, she was nominated by [[NDTV]] for its Woman of Worth Award under the arts category.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sites.ndtv.com/women-of-worth/nominee-kalki-subramaniam|title=About the Nominee: Kalki Subramaniam|work=NDTV.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

In February 2017, she was invited by Harvard Business School, Harvard University to speak on behalf of the sexual minorities, and represent the Indian transgender community. She received a standing ovation for her speech. She shared the chair with Telugu actor and Politician [[Pawan Kalyan]], [[Manish Malhotra]], [[R Madhavan]] and [[Meagan Fallone]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/transgender-activist-kalki-subramaniam-made-an-impassioned-plea-for-more-inclusiveness-for-her-community-in-all-walks-of-life-at-her-speech-in-harvard-university/article17422660.ece/|title=When Kalki spoke at Harvard|date=2017-01-03|work=The Hindu|access-date=2017-03-07|language=en-US}}</ref> Inspired by Kalki's speech Pawan Kalyan later in his interview to the media said, he has plans to start a separate wing for the transgender people in his political party [[Jana sena]] of Andhra Pradesh.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://simplicity.in/news-detail.php?nid=10830&isnotify=n/|title=Transgender Activist Kalki Subramaniam's speech receives a standing ovation at the Harvard University|date=2017-02-18|work=Simplicity News|access-date=2017-03-07|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2018, Subramaniam was invited by Schwules Museum, Germany to present her artworks, poetry films and activism in an Artist Talk with Professor Claudia Reiche.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=32366|title=Wie geht postkolonialer indischer Trans-Aktivismus heute?date=2018-11-17|work=Queer.de|access-date=2018-12-01|language=de-German}}</ref> In June 2019, Kalki was invited by TransAmsterdam, a transgender art and culture organisation in Netherlands and was conferred the International Ambassador for Life title by the organisation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transamsterdam.nl/single-post/2019/07/04/We-proudly-presents-Kalki-Subramaniam-TransAmsterdam-Ambassador-for-life/|title=We proudly present Kalki Subramaniam TransAmsterdam Ambassador for life - Transamsterdam.nl|date=4 July 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Subramaniam, Kalki}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Transgender actresses]]
[[Category:Transgender rights activists]]
[[Category:Transgender artists]]
[[Category:LGBT rights activists from India]]
[[Category:LGBT artists from India]]
[[Category:LGBT writers from India]]
[[Category:LGBT people from India]]
[[Category:Transgender writers]]
[[Category:Actresses from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Activists from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Indian women activists]]
[[Category:People from Coimbatore district]]
[[Category:Women civil rights activists]]

Kalki Subramaniam - Revision history

UpdateBot at 22:22, 13 June 2022