A physics graduate, an insurance agent, and finally a full-fledged lawyer—the journey of Padma Lakshmi, Kerala’s first transgender advocate, has not been easy.
A positive attitude and disregard for negativity propelled her to achieve the goal of becoming a lawyer, which Padma Lakshmi calls 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.
To meet her medical and education costs, she worked as an insurance agent for a private insurance company and the LIC.
Since last November, Padma Lakshmi joined as a trainee with advocate K.V. Bhadrakumari, who guided her to create a space for her in the High Court. “I am very grateful to her for that,” she said, remembering her senior telling her that the Constitution was a lawyer’s biggest weapon.
Of the over 1,500 law graduates who got enrolled on March 19, Lakshmi was the first one to get an enrolment certificate.
“It was also made possible by the members of the Kerala Bar Council. I am happy to be enrolled here, as many bigwigs of the legal profession are part of this council and now so am I,” she said.
On her plans for the future, she said that she neither intended to pursue masters in law nor try for judicial service presently.
“Taking up cases where there has been violation of fundamental rights and fighting to ensure justice for the marginalised—that is my plan and desire right now,” she said, adding she wanted to fight for the likes of Vishwanathan from Wayanad or Madhu from Palakkad.
She would also be keen to learn in depth about court proceedings, Padma Lakshmi said. “I have a lot to learn about managing clients and about the law. For that, I need to work hard with honesty.” Her family—a mother who is an advocate’s clerk and a father who used to work at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd—has been great source of support in her journey. “They always encouraged me to pursue my dreams with courage. So why should I fear anything?”
