Salma (writer)
Salma | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu | |
| Assuming office 25 July 2025 | |
| Succeeding | M. M. Abdulla, DMK |
| Chairperson of Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Board | |
| In office 2006–2011 | |
| President of Ponnampatti Town Council | |
| In office 2001–2006 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rajathi Samsudeen 1968 (age 56–57) Thuvarankurichi, Tiruchirappalli district, Madras State (now Tamil Nadu), India |
| Citizenship | India |
| Political party | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Spouse |
Malik (before 1988) |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Writer and Political activist |
| Awards | Mahakavi Kanhaiyalal Sethia Award (2019) |
Rakkiaiah (alternatively Rokkiah, born Rajathi Samsudeen in 1968) is an Indian Tamil writer, activist, and politician known by the pen name Salma and the nickname Rajathi, and often referred to as Rajathi Salma. Her works have received international acclaim and she is renowned as a sensation in contemporary Tamil literature.
She is a member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and involved in women's and transgender rights activism. Between 2007 and 2011, she served as the chairperson of the State Social Welfare Board of Tamil Nadu. Salma is also the founder of a non-government women's rights organisation named "Your Hope is Remaining".