Who Is Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, the Head of Kinnar Akhada Who Expelled Mamta Kulkarni Over Shankaracharya Row?

Prayagraj:
The Kinnar Akhada has expelled actress Mamta Kulkarni from its fold following her controversial remarks related to Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand. The decision was announced by Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, the head of the Kinnar Akhada, who stated that questioning or insulting any religious tradition is unacceptable.

Clarifying the Akhada’s stand, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi said she does not wish to take sides in the Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand controversy. “I am neither calling anyone right nor wrong,” she said. “However, I felt deeply hurt by the incident in which the traditional hair tuft (choti) of young Brahmin students was pulled during the fair. No one has the right to insult or question another’s religious traditions.”

She further stated that due to Mamta Kulkarni’s remarks in this matter, the Akhada has decided to distance itself from her. “Yamai Mamta Giri, also known as Mamta Kulkarni, is no longer a member of the Kinnar Akhada. She has previously made several controversial statements as well,” Tripathi added.

Who Is Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi?

Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi was born on December 13, 1980, in Thane, Maharashtra. She completed her graduation from Mithibai College, Mumbai, and later pursued a postgraduate degree in Bharatanatyam.

In 2002, she dedicated her life to the upliftment of the transgender community and founded a non-governmental organization to work for their rights and social inclusion. She has played a pivotal role in the long legal and social struggle for transgender recognition in India, which ultimately led to the Supreme Court granting legal recognition to transgender persons as the ‘Third Gender’.

Tripathi has been a prominent voice advocating for the rights of the transgender and LGBTQ+ communities. She is also the author of the widely discussed autobiography “Me Hijra, Me Laxmi.” Apart from her social activism, she has appeared on popular television shows, including Bigg Boss, which brought her advocacy work to a wider audience.

As the head of the Kinnar Akhada, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi continues to assert that while dialogue and differing opinions are acceptable, disrespect toward religious traditions and cultural practices will not be tolerated.