Ms Prakash, 31, presented her first news bulletin in August on Lotus News, a regional broadcaster in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Her television appearance came just months after the country legally recognised the existence of a third gender.
"I was very worried because I also had to focus on my diction and maintain a steady narrative pace to ensure that there was clarity and viewers could understand me," Ms Prakash told The Times of India.
Ms Prakash worked as a dance instructor and a soap actor before joining Lotus News. As a vocal advocate for transgender rights in India, Ms Prakash says she faced years of discrimination and stigma, and has even cut off ties with her family as a result.
"We are supportive of Padmini because she is very hard-working," Lotus News Channel chairman G.K.S Selvakumar told The Times of India.
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"After initial trials, we were convinced that she had the potential to be an excellent news anchor."
In April this year, India’s highest court directed state and federal governments to identify transgenders as a neutral third gender who should be granted access to the same welfare schemes as other minority groups in India.
"Recognition of transgenders as a third gender is not a social or medical issue but a human rights issue," Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan told the Supreme Court while handing down the ruling.
