Jyothi Vijayakumar – Firebrand Malayalam translator of Rahul Gandhi speeches

Jyothi Vijayakumar is an advocate and orator from Chengannur, Kerala, best known for her firebrand speeches. She has been serving as a translator of Rahul Gandhi speeches in Kerala since 2014 general elections. She shot to immense popularity among Malayalis after her translation speeches for 2019 election campaigns of National Congress leaders gained mass attention among the public. Apart from Rahul Gandhi, she has translated English speeches of Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to Malayalam. 

Jyothi Vijayakumar was born into a political family. Her father Vijayakumar, an advocate by profession has also unsuccessfully by-elections as UDF candidate. She got into active politics during her college days at Thiruvananthapuram. Her political career as a student leader also brought out the best as an orator when she used to address political meetings within the college campus. Initially she was exposed to only Malayalam. She moved to Delhi to study for Civil services, and that’s how she got attached to other languages as well. Though she cleared preliminaries she couldn’t get through the final exams. Later she moved to Chennai where she worked as a journalist and reporter for different media houses.

After her marriage she moved to Mumbai, worked as an IT professional and once again moved to Chennai to join as a lecturer. The idea to become a translator first came to her mind in 2011, when she once watched Rahul Gandhi’s speech on television. When she shared her desire with her father and asked him to inform if there is any need for a translator for Rahul Gandhi’s speeches in Chengannur, her father agreed. Thus she got her first opportunity during 2014 general elections. It was for the election campaign of UDF candidate Vishnu Nath. Later she acted as a translator during the Kerala visits of Sonia and Rahul in 2016, 2017 and 2019. It was during 2019 general elections she turned a sensation.

Jyothi Vijayakumar – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. She used to accompany her father to attend public functions and political speeches right from the childhood.

2. She became Union Counsellor during her first year at Mar Ivanious College, Thiruvananthapuram. She became the general secretary the second year and became the first woman Chairperson the final year.

 3. Her husband Pari Ratna Swamy was a classmate of her coaching classes at Delhi.

4. She was so nervous during her first assignment as a translator for Rahul Gandhi speech that she forgot to switch on the mike. Later Rahul himself came forward to switch it on.

5. When she gets stuck with translations when exact words are not easily available, she use her own, with almost the same meaning and spirit.

6. Among the members of Gandhi family, Rahul Gandhi’s speeches are short and easy to translate – states Jyothi. He never gets emotional, while it’s just opposite in the case of Sonia and Priyanka.

7. She has also translated Hindi speeches. Her 8 years stay at Delhi and Mumbai combined, helped her in this matter. Yet she can’t translate Tamil, though she has stayed in Chennai for many years.

8. She started wearing colourful saris after she turned a Kerala celebrity as a firebrand translator. Earlier she mostly preferred grey or white shades.

9. She has worked in Mumbai and Technopark Thiruvananthapuram as an IT professional after marriage.