User:Lenondas123/LivingSmileVidya

Living Smile Vidya also known as Smiley is a full-time theater artist, author, activist,feminist and a blogger.She is also the first transgender to have received the Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship in 2013 for her excellence in Theater by the British Council. She was born on 25 March 1982 and belongs to the Arunthathiyar Community. Currently, she works and lives in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Smiley has been active in theater since 2004, she also holds the position of Founder-Director of Panmai Theater . Panmai meaning 'diversity'

Education
Smiley has an M.A in Applied Linguistics with distinction from Tamil University, Thanjavur.

Achievements
Smiley is the first transwoman in India to work in a mainstream private bank. She is also the first transgender to have received the Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship (2013) from the British Council and her autobiography was the first transgender autobiography in India to have been published, which was later adapted into a movie in Kannada by the name Naan Avanalla Avalu (I am not He, but She).

Work
Smiley runs a theater group by he name Panmai Theater. It is a mixed theater group of members from the trans community and members belonging to different Caste. The group usually performs plays relating to the struggles,oppression and discrimination faced by Transgenders, against Casteism and mainly for the recognition of her community.

Understanding Transgender in Tamilnadu, a collection of essays on the economic,social and cultural rights for transgenders, is an action project by Smiley that attempts at educating and spreading awareness on the rights of transgenders,lesbian and bisexual women. She was among the five transgenders who appealed to the Madras High Court petitioning for a three percent reservation for their community, in the areas of education and employment in the State.

Films
She acted in short films like "Kandal pookkal", "500 & 5" and appeared in documentary films like "Aghrinaigal" and "Butterfly".She has also worked as an Assistant Director to Mysskin for the Tamil film "Nandhalala" and to Gopinath for his Malayalam film "Viratham".

"I am Saravanan Vidya".
"I am Saravan Vidya" is her autobiography, translated to English from Tamil in 2013,that tells the struggles and challenges that she faced through her life in becoming a 'She'(Vidya) from a 'He'(Saravanan), especially in an Indian society.

The book which was originally written in Tamil (Naan Saravanan Illai, Vidya) in 2008 has been translated into English, Malayalam,Kannada,Assamese and Marathi and is now a part of the B.A English syllabus in Stella Maris College, Chennai, India while the Tamil version is included in the syllabus of B.A Tamil in American College, Madurai,India. The Kannada translation of her book has received the Sahitya Akademi Award for Best Translation in 2011.

Naan Avanalla Avalu.
Naan Avanalla Avalu (I am not he, but she) is a movie directed by BS Lingadevaru based on her story/book. The plot of the movie revolves around the protagonist Madesha ,who feels trapped in a man's body and wants to become a 'She'. Despite the difficulties, Madesha transforms into Vidya. The film further narrates the obstacles that she faces to earn a living as a transgender in a society that is not very "inclusive" even after the Supreme Court considers them as "the third gender".

The movie has won two National Awards in 2014-best actor for Sanchari Vijay and for the best make-up for Raju and Nagaraj.

It has also bagged the Kannada Film Awards for best story and has been selected for IFFK-Kerala, KIFF-Kolkatta, IFFI-Goa.

Colour of Trans 2.0
A play created by Smiley, Angel Glady and Gee Imaan Semmalar that unfolds seven episodes of life experiences dealing with self-representation, trans activism, casteism and explores new forms of theater. It includes drama, monologue, clown theater realism and other forms.

External link
http://livingsmile.blogspot.in/