Lucknow: In a story of grit and perseverance, transgender Kathak dancer and cultural activist Devika Devendra S Manglamukhi has become the 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 her artistic journey but also for the transgender community. Devika's achievements include the 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."
Early Life and Struggles
Hailing from Dholpur in Rajasthan, her journey to national recognition was marked by hardship, social exclusion and years of struggle. Her first brush with the dance form was at the age of four, watching a Kathak concert on Doordarshan, which inspired her to participate in school competitions.
At 14, Devika left home to live according to her gender identity. "My mother wanted to hide me. I left with just Rs 20," she recalls.
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 the Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee.
Turning Point and Training
A turning point came when Kathak guru Kapila Raj Sharma noticed Devika practising mudras on a Delhi street and offered to guide her. In 2004, Devika moved to Lucknow and began training under Sharma. She 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 her work for the uplift of the transgender community.
