Trupti Desai (born 1985) is an Indian social activist and the founder of the
Bhumata Brigade
The Bhumata Brigade is a Pune-based social activist organization founded in 2010 in the state of Maharashtra, India, dedicated to fighting against injustice to women and against corruption. The organization's founder is Indian gender equality acti ...
& Bhumata Foundation, a Pune-based organization. Desai has campaigned for allowing women to religious places like the Shani Shingnapur Temple, the
Haji Ali Dargah
The Haji Ali Dargah is a Sufi shrine, and the monument of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, that is located on an islet off the coast of Worli in southern Mumbai, in the state of Maharashtra, India.
An exquisite example of Indo-Islamic architecture, ...
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple (श्री त्र्यंबकेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग मंदिर) is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Trimbak, in the Trimbakeshwar tehsil in the Nashik District of ...
, all in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
, and most recently the
Sabarimala
The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple () is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Ayyappan, who is also known as Dharma Shasta and is the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini (female avatar of the god Vishnu).
The temple is situated atop th ...
temple in Kerala. In 2012, she was an
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
candidate for the
Pune Municipal Corporation
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is the civic body that governs the inner limits of Pune, India. It is in charge of the civic needs and infrastructure of the metropolis, which is spread over an area of 500 sq. km. and has 3.4 million resident ...
elections. In 2021, she participated in '' Bigg Boss Marathi 3'' as a contestant and evicted on Day 49.
Personal life
Desai was born in Nipani taluka in the Indian state of
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
on 12 December 1985. Her father left the family for an
ashram
An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism.
Etymology
The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< She studied home science at the Pune campus of Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women's University but discontinued after first year due to family problems.
Desai has been married since 2006 and has one son. Her husband Prashant claims that she is "extremely spiritual" and is follower of Gagangiri Maharaj of
Kolhapur
Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...
.
Activities
In 2003, Desai was a social worker with Krantiveer Jhopdi Vikas Sangh to help rehabilitate slum dwellers. From 2007 to 2009, Desai staged protests against the financial irregularities at the Ajit Cooperative Bank involving a fraud of . In January 2009, she led a group against then deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Ajit Pawar
Ajit Anantrao Pawar (Marathi pronunciation: d͡ʒit̪ pəʋaːɾ born 22 July 1959) is an Indian politician serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra along with Eknath Shinde under Devendra Fadnavis since 5 December 2024. He is t ...
. An arrest warrant was issued against her in 2013 for heading the group that allegedly "slapped the effigy of Pawar, used abusive language and held an illegal agitation despite prohibitory orders". Desai was immediately released on bail, claiming that the arrest was just a tactic to stop activists from protesting. She founded the
Bhumata Brigade
The Bhumata Brigade is a Pune-based social activist organization founded in 2010 in the state of Maharashtra, India, dedicated to fighting against injustice to women and against corruption. The organization's founder is Indian gender equality acti ...
on 27 September 2010. Since its founding, the brigade has grown from 400 to 5,000 registered members . In 2011, she also participated in the anti-corruption movement. She contested the 2012 elections for the
Pune Municipal Corporation
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is the civic body that governs the inner limits of Pune, India. It is in charge of the civic needs and infrastructure of the metropolis, which is spread over an area of 500 sq. km. and has 3.4 million resident ...
from Balaji Nagar ward as a member of
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
; but lost.
Religious places
In November 2015, a woman entered the Hindu shrine of Shani Shingnapur Temple, where women were not allowed. The priests of the temple suspended the security guard on duty at the time and carried out a cleansing ceremony of the idol. This agitated Desai, who along with other members of her brigade staged various forced entries into the shrine. The state government and the district level court of Pune directed the temple officials to allow women in the shrine based on their constitutional rights. On 8 April 2016, the day celebrated as
Gudi Padwa
Gudhi Padwa is a spring festival marking the start of the lunisolar new year for Marathi people, Marathi and Konkani people, Konkani Hindus. It is celebrated in and around Maharashtra, Goa and Daman district, India, Daman at the start of ...
—the new year day of the Maharashtrian calendar—Desai along with other female members of the Brigade entered the shrine of Shani Shingnapur Temple.
Post Shingnapur entry, Desai reached the Mahalakshmi Temple in
Kolhapur
Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...
where the temple management committee allowed her entry but the priests became violent against her. Five priests were arrested for attacking Desai and the protestors. She also entered the inner sanctum of the
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple (श्री त्र्यंबकेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग मंदिर) is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Trimbak, in the Trimbakeshwar tehsil in the Nashik District of ...
near
Nashik
Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai.
Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh ...
where she was peacefully escorted by the police, but only with wet clothes similar to how the temple allows men.
In April 2016, she made an attempt to enter the
Haji Ali Dargah
The Haji Ali Dargah is a Sufi shrine, and the monument of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, that is located on an islet off the coast of Worli in southern Mumbai, in the state of Maharashtra, India.
An exquisite example of Indo-Islamic architecture, ...
in Mumbai; however, an angry mob made it unsuccessful. Desai claimed that she received a death threat if she again tried to enter the
dargah
A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervi ...
—a type of Islamic shrine. On 12 May 2016, she made a second attempt and entered the mosque under tight security but not in the inner sanctum where women are not allowed.
In November 2018, she made an unsuccessful attempt to visit the
Sabarimala
The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple () is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Ayyappan, who is also known as Dharma Shasta and is the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini (female avatar of the god Vishnu).
The temple is situated atop th ...
temple in
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
during the Mandalam-Makaravilakk pilgrim season. The temple had legal as well as religious restrictions that prevented the entry of women of menstruating age (approx. 10–50 years) since 1991 which was overturned through a verdict by the
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...
in October 2018. Even though a dozen women of menstruating age had attempted to visit the temple after the verdict came, all of them proved unsuccessful largely due to protests. Desai was also blocked by protesters at
Cochin International Airport
Cochin International Airport , popularly known as Kochi International Airport or Nedumbassery Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Kochi, Kerala, in southwestern India. It is located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of th ...
on 16 November 2018, while on her journey to Sabarimala. She decided to return after getting stranded inside the airport for more than 14 hours and vowed to come back again. She did not.