Transgender person gets artisan ID from handicrafts corporation

KOCHI: At a time when their once oppressed voices and multiple layers of identities are slowly but surely gaining acceptance in the society, transgender community members in the state have one more reason to smile. Thripthi Shetty, a transgender activist and entrepreneur in Kerala, has become the first to get an artisan ID card in the community.“Tripthi is the first transgender to register under the Handicrafts Development Corporation of India government and the first to receive the artisan ID.

She is an excellent artist and craft maker and we were convinced that she is a deserving candidate. Above all it is talent and hard work that matters,” said Pooja Venugopal, assistant director, office of the development commissioner (Handicrafts), Thiruvanthapuram.Tripthi who received the ID card on Thursday after a three-month wait was on cloud nine when she finally got to see it.“It was artist Sindhu Divakaran who suggested me to get an artisan card. So, I applied for it three months ago. The card was issued on December 7. Though I was informed that my card has already been dispatched there was an unusual delay. This led to a tense situation as it was informed that it would have been lost. But on Wednesday, I got a call from the office of the development commissioner (handicrafts) saying that they have finally found my card,” said Thripthi.