Lucknow: In a story of grit and perseverance, transgender Kathak dancer and cultural activist Devika Devendra S Manglamukhi became first from the community to be selected for the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Samman-2025, conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.Currently a state executive member and adviser to the UP Transgender Welfare Board, Devika said the recognition marks a significant milestone not just in one’s artistic journey but also for the transgender community. Devika’s achievements include Rajkiye Meera Samman (2016) and the National Samrasta Samman (2025). Having performed across 22 states, the exponent finds Kathak inseparable from life and identity and said, “I dedicate this award to my guru, the transgender community and everyone who supported me in my lowest moments.”Hailing from Dholpur in Rajasthan, the journey to national recognition was marked by hardship, social exclusion and years of struggle and first brush with the dance form, was as a four years old watching a Kathak concert on Doordarshan, inspiring to participate in school competitions.At 14, Devika left home to live according to gender identity and “My mother wanted to hide me. I left with just Rs 20.”In 2001, Devika reached the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi. “I was crying bitterly. I had nowhere to go and to survive, I began begging, till a woman from the Valmiki community gave me the job of cleaning toilets in exchange for food,” recalls SNA awardee.A turning point came when Kathak guru Kapila Raj Sharma noticed Devika practising mudras on a Delhi street and offered to guide. In 2004, Devika moved to Lucknow and began training under Sharma and performed formally for the first time at Sharad Mahotsav in Dholpur in 2005. Devika has completed all education through distance mode and was nominated to the UP Transgender Welfare Board for work done for the uplift of the transgender community.
