Sruthy Sithara is an Indian model and artist who is the first transgender woman in the country to win the title of Miss Trans Global in 2021. Earlier, she was also crowned as the “Queen of Dhwayah 2018” and was declared the first runner-up in the Miss Chamayam competition in 2017. An advocate of LGBTQ+ rights, the Kerala-based model also runs her own online social campaign named “The Kaleidoscope.” With an aim to join the Indian Civil Services, Sithara also dreams of becoming an actress, and to realise it, she started working in the Malayalam film industry in September 2020.
Wiki/Biography
Sruthy Sithara was born as Praveen [1] on Monday, 6 May 1996 (age 26 years; as of 2021). Her zodiac sign is Taurus. Born and brought up in Vaikom, Kottayam in Kerala, Sithara did her schooling at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Kottayam, Kerala, and she also went to a school in Uttar Pradesh for a year when she was in Class 9. After completing her B. Com. from the St. Alberts College Ernakulam, Kerala in 2015, Sruthy got enrolled in the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, New Delhi to pursue Company Secretaryship. [2]
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Her father’s name is Pavithran. Her mother passed away in 2015, and she has a brother who is married.
Husband & Children
Sruthy is unmarried and has no children.
Career
Sruthy worked at a firm for two years after completing her studies until she was named one of the four transgender persons in Kerala to receive a government job. She worked at the Transgender cell of the Directorate of Social Justice of Kerala as a Project Assistant from 2018 to 2019. [3] Sithara revealed in an interview that it was during that time in 2018 that she revealed her identity to her father and brother following which she went through a full-body transformation in the same year. She added, [4]
I was working at the Social Justice department then. I think, especially because of that, I didn’t face many difficulties. My family was also understanding of my decision. All my life I was hiding. It was when I went to college that I met others in the community.”
Sithara pursued modelling post her transition and became the first runner-up in the Miss Chamayam competition in 2017. Next year, on 18 June 2018, Sruthy was crowned as the “Queen of Dhwayah 2018” at a transgender beauty pageant held at Kochi. [5] Three years later came her biggest achievement when she won the title of “Miss Trans Global 2021” and became the first Indian to achieve the feat. On the morning of 1 December 2021, the title was virtually conferred to Sithara, who was competing in the pageant for the past six months. Sruthy was also crowned as the “Most Eloquent Queen” at the same pageant. [6] [7]
When Sithara was interviewed following her win, she said,
I never expected to win the Ms Trans Global India title. I was ecstatic. This being the pride month, it is a push to my community too. It’s a huge opportunity and I am proud to be able to represent my country and my community on a global platform.”
Sruthy got selected in the pageant based on her audition tape in which she said: [8]
The title will help me in leading and inspiring life with self-esteem, pride and dignity, not just for me, but for a crowd of people who hide their faces under the shades of the rainbow. I want to show the world that we are capable of doing everything that a human do.”
Facts/Trivia
- During Sruthy’s one year of schooling in Uttar Pradesh, she was bullied several times that had a lasting effect on her mental health, and the school faculty reached out to her parents to get her treatment. She further revealed in an interview that her effeminate nature also often made her the subject of bullying in school and college. [9] Sithara added,
I too have been subjected to various kinds of ‘treatment’ a transgender person would usually face from peers at school and college. My effeminate nature has often made me the butt of jokes and hurtful comments. There were many who found one reason or the other to poke fun at me, but I managed to handle it by changing the subject, laughing it off or acting as though I didn’t pay attention. I have hardly reacted to the mean comments aimed at me.”
- By enrolling at the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, New Delhi to pursue Company Secretaryship, Sithara became the first transgender person to study at the institute. [10]
- Sruthy dedicated her Miss Trans Global 2021 title to her late mother and her friend, Kerala’s first transgender RJ, Anannyah Kumari Alex, who died after committing suicide in 2021. [11]
- Sithara’s historic win fetched her enormous appreciation, including congratulations from the Minister of Higher Education of Kerala. [12]
- In 2021, the Kerela-based transgender artist launched an online campaign along with her friends called “The Kaleidoscope.” Through the campaign, Sithara advocates for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and promotes queer relationships. [13]
- The pageant winner aims to crack the Civil Services exam and is working for the same. Sithara revealed in an interview in 2018 that she appeared in the exam in the same year with her male identity as the UPSC didn’t have the transgender column; however, she couldn’t clear it. [14] She added, [15]
I ignore the negativity around because I have a dream and all my focus is on that – to become an IAS officer. That has been my mother’s dream and now mine. I want to work towards uplifting persons from socially and economically challenging premises.”
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In another interview, after winning Miss Trans Global in 2021, Sruthy revealed she also desired to become an actor, and she has started working in the Malayalam film industry in 2020, and she will soon be seen in some Malayalam movies. [16]
References
- 1 ↑ Deccan Chronicle
- 2 ↑ The Times of India
- 3 ↑ The Indian Express
- 4 ↑ The New Indian Express
- 5 ↑ The Times of India
- 6 ↑ The Better India
- 7 ↑ The New Indian Express
- 8 ↑ The Indian Express
- 9 ↑ The Times of India
- 10 ↑ The Times of India
- 11 ↑ The Indian Express
- 12 ↑ The Indian Express
- 13 ↑ The Better India
- 14 ↑ The Times of India
- 15 ↑ Deccan Chronicle
- 16 ↑ The New Indian Express