# Transgender artiste Shamala sustains Tamil folk arts for 22 years 2026-08-06T01:27:28+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Shamala, a transgender performer from Cuddalore, has spent the past 22 years playing goddesses such as Kali, Mariamman and Angalamman at temple festivals and cultural programmes, New Indian Express reported. She travels with more than 10 kilograms of costumes, jewellery and makeup, and says the work has given her a livelihood, an identity and dignity rather than dependence on anyone else. After her father's early death pushed her into work as a child, she spent several years doing odd jobs in Kerala before returning to Cuddalore in 2004 and training in the Karagattam tradition. She has since taught nearly 30 students of her own and been recognised with honours including the Puducherry government's Kala Ratna Award, the Majestic Art Award, the Sangamam Award, the Outstanding Transgender Dancer Award and an honorary doctorate. She also described facing frequent slurs and inappropriate touching at events, saying she often stays silent about it for her own safety. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Shamala's 22 years on stage and the honours she has received, including Puducherry's Kala Ratna and an honorary doctorate, are matters of record, and set alongside them she describes ongoing abuse and slurs at the events where she performs. The account of that abuse comes from her own telling rather than from any outside observer or record New Indian Express cites, so its frequency and severity cannot be independently checked from this report. That she says she sometimes stays silent to protect her own safety points to a gap between her public recognition and her day to day working conditions. Whether her efforts to seek government support lead to concrete protective measures for performers like her is the outcome still to come. ## Coverage - www.newindianexpress.com Tags: Cuddalore, Shamala Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/trans-artiste-shamala-on-preserving-tamil-nadus-tradition-of-folk-arts-for-22-years-on-stage/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/trans-artiste-shamala-on-preserving-tamil-nadus-tradition-of-folk-arts-for-22-years-on-stage/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.