Siddharth Haobijam, won the prestigious Laadli Award for his work on the transgender community of Manipur. The Laadli Media and Advertising Awards are presented in recognition of gender sensitive reporting by Population First and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). The award was presented on Tuesday 10 March, 2015 in Vishakhapatnam.The award was given for his photo feature on the transgender community of Manipur.Based in Imphal, Manipur, Siddharth Haobijam has been documenting the lives of the transgender of Manipur for more than three years now. His photo essays have appeared in such prestigious publications like the Statesman (Delhi), Eclectic North East India and The Advocate (USA) among others. Siddharth Haobijam is now making a video documentary on the Trans-shamanic priests of the Manipur.Locally referred to as the “Nupi Maanbi”, the transgender of Manipur are less known in India and the rest of the world . The Nupi Maanbi or the “one who look like women” have their own unique identity and culture which is very different from the transgender community of the rest of India (Hijra).“This award is an honour and recognition for all the photo-journalists from the North Eastern region”, says Siddharth Haobijam.Siddharth Haobijam can be contacted at 09862098266 or at his email : [email protected]
