Public Comment

When the priests of Nashik District in Maharashtra, India, learned that a woman had defiled the sanctity of Shani Shingnapur Temple they swung into action with an elaborate purification process, smothering the deity with yogurt and honey. Then they suspended a temple security guard for his laxity allowing a woman to enter the temple for the first time in its 350-year history. Security was tightened and the priests heaved a sigh of relief vowing that such a travesty would never be repeated. But they had not counted on the fierce determination of Trupti Desai, who had hitherto championed the rights of slum dwellers. The frenzied cleaning by the priests, implying that women were unclean because they menstruate, outraged and galvanized Trupi to action. “How dare the priests discriminate between men and women, - why are we unworthy of entering the temple? “God doesn’t discriminate between men and women. Why should religion?” 

Her public actions have forced the government of her home state of Maharashtra to issue a court judgement allowing women to enter into any temples. Gaining inspiration from Trupi and her followers, Muslim women protested their exclusion from the Haji Ali mosque in Mumbai. 

Gaining strength in numbers, Trupi has become a Cause célèbre for gender equality leading her supporters into inner sanctums of temples often meeting fierce resistance by priests. The violence has been captured by social media which has accelerated the movement. Muslim women have been inspired and are now demanding an end to quick divorces, “talaqs”, in which their husbands can terminate a marriage by uttering (“I divorce you” in Arabic) three times. “Religion is the final frontier in gender discrimination,” said Indira Jaising, a senior advocate at the Supreme Court. “Now, the challenge is coming from the heart of these communities.” 

Trupi relentless efforts to demolish centuries old taboos and fight corruption have earned her grudging respect from India’s male dominated establishment. In 2010 she formed an organization called the Bhumata Brigade, or Mother Earth Brigade. Religious customs which disproportionately favor men are inherently unfair and must be vigorously challenged. These rules were written by men to favor men. Religious priests have much to learn from Trupi. India’s,‘Rosa Parks’, is a true inspiration.