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Praveen Nath was an Indian trans man bodybuilder. He was the first transgender bodybuilder from Kerala. He allegedly committed suicide on 4 May 2023 by consuming poison and was declared dead at the Government Medical College, Thrissur, Kerala.
Wiki/Biography
According to some sources, Praveen Nath was born on Friday, 30 May 1997 (age 26 years; at the time of death) in Karingulam, Nemmara, Palakkad, Kerala, whereas some sources said that he was born on Saturday, 30 May 1998 (age 25 years; at the time of death). His zodiac sign is Gemini. He completed his schooling at the Yogini Matha Girls High School, Kollengode, Palakkad, Kerala. He pursued a bachelor of arts degree in History at NSS College Nemmara, Palakkad, Kerala. Later, he did a bachelor of arts degree in English at Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, Kerala.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 4′ 9″
Weight (approx.): 70 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): 38-25-23
Tattoos
- Amma (Mother-written in Malayalam) and a heart symbol on his left chest.
Praveen Nath’s tattoo
- Two tattoos on the left arm; a name tattoo and a feather tattoo.
Praveen Nath’s tattoo on the left arm
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name was Prabhakaran. He passed away during Praveen’s childhood. His mother’s name was Valsala. She was a daily wage worker and she took care of Praveen and his siblings after her husband’s death. He had three elder brothers, Pushpan, Vineeth, and Anoop. On 6 November 2019, his brother, Anoop, passed away due to a prolonged illness related to his kidneys; he was undergoing dialysis.
Praveen Nath with his mother
A photograph of Praveen Nath’s brother Anoop
Wife
On 14 February 2023, he got married to Rishana Ayshu, a trans-woman model. She was a former Miss Malabar beauty contest winner. In an interview, Rishana revealed that they used to spend a lot of time together at the ‘Kanaris’ cafe in Thrissur, Kerala, and said that it was a special place for them.
A photograph from the wedding ceremony of Praveen Nath and Rishana Ayshu
Gender Identity
Praveen Nath was a trans man. While he was speaking about his identity in an interview, he revealed that he was about 15 years old (tenth standard) when he realised that there was a different identity within himself. He added that he was not close with his brothers and his mother lacked knowledge about transgenders, he then opened up to his teachers at the Yogini Matha Girls High School, Kollengode, Palakkad, Kerala, who thought that Praveen was a lesbian, as he was attracted to same-sex (before his surgery). After he was confused about his identity, he was taken to a psychologist for counselling.
Praveen Nath before and after Gender-affirming surgery
He was about 20 years old when he came out as a transman, he was in college and was subjected to heavy trolling, and people started isolating him; after the ridiculing and harassment became severe at his college, he was forced to discontinue his studies at NSS College Nemmara, Palakkad, Kerala. Initially, his family members did not accept his identity, and he was forced to leave his home at 20; he added that he was shocked by their decision. Later, he started living with some transgender communities in Kerala and Sajna Shaji, a trans woman, took care of him. Some reports suggested that he reconciled with his family one year after he came out as a trans man. In 2018, he underwent Gender-affirming surgery after he felt trapped inside a female body; his mother was present with him during his stay at the hospital for the surgery.
A photograph of Praveen Nath (extreme right) attending a Queer Pride march
Relationships/Affairs
In an interview, he said that before he met his wife, he was in a relationship in 2020 and added that he was in a bad state after he broke up with his partner; however, he did not reveal the identity of the person. Later, he was in a relationship with Rishana Ayshu. He met her during the 20th-anniversary celebration (Idam) of ‘Sahayatrika’, an organization for the upliftment of sexual minorities, held in Thrissur, Kerala, in November 2022.
Rishana Ayshu
In an interview, he revealed that he first met her while she was dancing at a DJ party as part of the closing ceremony of Idam; he fell in love with her at first sight and proposed to her on the same day. He added that she was taken aback by his straightforwardness and told him to ask permission from her mother, Annamma; Annamma was her mother in the transgender community. Her mother suggested that Praveen and Rishana take some time to get to know each other before they started a serious relationship.
Religion
He followed Hinduism.
Career
In 2020, he started working on fitness and later shifted his interest to bodybuilding. Later, he met Vinu Mohan, a former Mr Kerala and a native of Palakkad, Kerala; Vinu agreed to become Praveen’s trainer and helped him prepare for the 2021 Mr Thrissur competition. In an interview, he revealed that initially, the organizers asked him to participate in the men’s category; however, Vinu and Praveen convinced them to allow him to enter the competition as a trans man; he won the Mr Thrissur title in the open category of the competition.
Praveen Nath with his mentor (left) after winning the Mr Thrissur title
Following his success in the Mr Thrissur competition, he and Vinu started preparing for the 2021 Mr Kerala competition held in Pala, Kottayam, Kerala. Vinu persuaded the Thrissur District Bodybuilding Association and the Kerala State Bodybuilding Association to come up with an open (special) category for transgender people (trans men). In August 2021, Praveen made history and became the first person from the transgender community in Kerala to win the Mr Kerala title in the special category. He reached the final round of the bodybuilding competition held as part of the International Health, Sports & Fitness Festival (IHFF), Mumbai in 2022.
Praveen Nath, the first #transman in #Kerala to take up #bodybuilding, has created history by winning Mr Kerala 2021. The 24-year-old thanked his parents, the people at his gym, and everyone else who supported him emotionally and financially on his journey. #LGBTQ pic.twitter.com/9kQ322go7i
— Ketto (@ketto) September 11, 2021
Medals
Gold
- 2021: Mr Thrissur (open category)
- 2021: Mr Kerala (open category)
Bike Collection
He owned a Bajaj Avenger.
Praveen Nath with his bike
Death
Praveen Nath committed suicide on 4 May 2023. According to some sources, he consumed poison. On 1 May 2023, he shared a post on Facebook and said that he and his wife were getting separated; however, he deleted that post. Later, the couple were subjected to heavy trolling and received a lot of abuse on social media, following the reports of many online media who claimed that they were getting separated. One day later, he shared a post on Facebook and rebutted the claims of online media and clarified that they were not separated and were living together; he added that he shared the post that claimed that they were getting separated was done at a moment when he was emotionally vulnerable. He lamented the transphobic attitude of the online community and criticised the online media for spreading fake news and insulting his family.
Praveen Nath is a martyr, a constant reminder to those unwilling to accept that trans persons have as much right as each one of us to live here, alongside us, as part of the mainstream society. He is a reminder of a brand of rotten journalism that is complicit in this ignorance.
— Dr R Bindu (@rbinducpm) May 5, 2023
While speaking about his married life in an interview, he said that they were both happy with each other and the problems they were having were that of any ordinary couple and added that they were working on them. According to some reports, he was found unconscious after consuming poison at his home on 4 May 2023. He was soon shifted to the Government Medical College, Thrissur, Kerala; however, the doctors could not save his life, and he died. Following the death of Praveen, Rishana shared a video on Facebook and lambasted the people who trolled him and spread fake news about their relationship, she alleged that Praveen was unable to cope with the trauma and committed suicide.
A photograph of Praveen Nath and Rishana Ayshu
Later, she tried to commit suicide by consuming poison and was taken to the Government Medical College, Thrissur, Kerala; however, the doctors were able to save her life. On 6 May 2023, while speaking to the reporters about Praveen’s death, Pushpan (Praveen’s brother) alleged that Rishana physically assaulted his brother. He reportedly told the media that before his death, Praveen visited them, and some wounds were on his forehead and neck; he further added that one week before the couple’s wedding, Praveen tried to commit suicide because of her torture. Pushpan accused Rishana threatened to destroy Praveen’s bodybuilding career and pressurized Praveen to remove the divorce post he shared on Facebook; he said their family were legally moving against Rishana.
Favourites
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, he pointed out that while he pursued a BA History degree at NSS College Nemmara, Palakkad, Kerala, he hid his true identity from everyone during the first academic year.
- In 2018, he was admitted for the bachelor of arts in English degree at Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, Kerala, under a special reservation implemented by the Government of Kerala for the transgender community. Although the atmosphere was entirely different from his previous college and everyone embraced his true identity at Maharaja’s College, he discontinued his studies after the second year due to severe financial constraints.
- While speaking about his experiences with the Mr Thrissur competition in an interview, he revealed that his mother financially supported him and gave Rs. 50,000 to cover the expenses of the competition.
- He underwent the transformation treatments close to when he prepared for the 2021 Mr Kerala competition. Initially, it was difficult for him to focus on his preparations for the competition as he faced severe mood swings which caused him to alienate himself from others.
- He occasionally consumed alcoholic beverages.
Praveen Nath with a bottle of beer
- Praveen briefly worked at an Akshaya centre in his hometown for a couple of months in 2020.
- In 2021, he started working as a coordinator at the Sahayatrika organization (Human Rights Organisation) in Kerala and was associated with the organization until his untimely death in 2023. Praveen addressed many awareness classes across Kerala as part of Sahayatrika.
- He was felicitated by the Social Justice Department, Government of Kerala, in 2022 for his contributions to the field of sports.
Praveen Nath was honoured by the Social Justice Department, Government of Kerala