Kerala’s first transgender lawyer wants to be the voice of the poor, marginalised
The Hindu
Supportive family, a positive attitude, and hard work are her assets, Lakshmi says, after enrolling as the first of the 1500 graduates who were enrolled with the High Court on Tuesday
A physics graduate, an insurance agent-cum-law student and finally a full-fledged lawyer—this is the journey of Kerala’s first transgender advocate who now aims to use her legal acumen to ensure justice for the poor and the marginalised.
The journey was not easy and there were obstacles but her positive attitude and disregard for negativity propelled her forward to achieve the goal of becoming a lawyer, which, according to Padma Lakshmi is a noble profession.
“I ignore all forms of negativity, be it people or their comments. I focus on the positive. I believe that is one of my advantages. If I focus on the negativity, I will have time only for that and will never move forward in life,” she told PTI.
She also worked as an insurance agent for a private insurance company and the LIC to meet her medical and education costs, which included the voluminous legal textbooks. She is also more than happy and eager to share these books and her knowledge with anyone who wants them.
Lakshmi slowly stopped working as an insurance agent after joining as a trainee with her senior, advocate K.V. Bhadrakumari, so that she could focus better on her legal career. Her senior helped create a space for her among the bigwigs of the legal profession in the High Court, Lakshmi, who was interning since last November, said. “I am very grateful to her for that.”
She remembered her senior telling her that the Constitution was her biggest weapon.
Of the over 1,500 law graduates who got enrolled on Sunday, March 19, Lakshmi was the first one to get her enrolment certificate.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.