Kagganapalli Radha Devi

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Kagganapalli Radha Devi - Wikipedia

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Kagganapalli Radha Devi
Radha Devi Kagganapalli receiving the Nari Shakti Puraskar in March 2019 Nari Shakti Puraskar
Nationality	Indian
Education	Bachelor of Administration
Occupation	Founder & President Women barbers in Tirumala
Organization	Rail Hostess & Hospitality Management \| Indira Institute of RailCrew (IIR) \| Eco Finix Waste Management solutions \| Xinc Innovations Pvt. ltd
Known for	Women Empowerment in winning a protest against a Hindu Temple's sexual discrimination
Awards	Nari Shakti Puraskar
Honors	Shrama Shakti Award from Govt Of Andhra Pradesh

Kagganapalli Radha Devi is an Indian activist who successfully protested against a Hindu temple that would only employ male barbers. The Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala, which gathers over a ton of hair every day, agreed to also employ female barbers to carry out the ritual tonsuring. Devi received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of her work.

Life

Radha Devi was the President of the Association of Andhra Pradesh Women Barbers.^[1] She was also the President of the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams Women Barbers and these barbers were concerned that they were prevented in cutting hair at a Hindu temple because they were women. Radha Devi decided to champion their case.^[2]

Women being tonsured by women at booth 97 and 99 at Venkateswara Temple

Many devotees have their head tonsured daily as an offering to God^[1] at the Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh. The amount of hair collected every day weighs over a ton.^[3] The hair is collected and stored in large warehouses and it is sold internationally creating a substantial profit for the temple. The hair is high quality and commands prices as high as $166/kg as it is used to make wigs outside of India.^[3]

The hair-cutting tradition comes from a story that is told in which Venkateswara's head was hurt by a cowherd and his scalp had a bald patch. This was noticed by Neela Devi, a Gandharva princess who cut a portion of her hair and she transplanted it to his head. Venkateswara then announced that at the place where it happened, his followers should cut their hair and give it as an offering.^[4]

In 2004 there was a reaction from Orthodox Jews when they were told that they could not wear wigs made from this ritually gathered hair. Many wigs were destroyed but the price of the hair remained stable.^[3] Traditionally the barbers employed to do the tonsuring were male and members of the Nayee caste. This caused some discrimination and requests from women that they would prefer a female barber.^[2] A protest led by Radha Devi overturned the objections and she was recognized with the Nari Shakti Puraskar, presented by Ram Nath Kovind, the President of India.^[2] The awards were made at the President's palace, Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on International Women's Day 2019.^[1] She met the minister Maneka Gandhi and afterwards she met the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.^[5]

References

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/110922/tirumala-brahmotsavams-1189-barbers-to-be-roped-in-for-tonsure-servi.html

^ ^a ^b ^c P, Ambika (8 March 2019). "From masons, barbers to creators of forests and sustainable homes, nari shakti takes charge | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Ms. Kagganapalli Radha Devi - #NariShakti Puraskar 2018 Awardee in Individual category". Ministry of WCD (India). 8 March 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Saritha Rai (14 July 2004). "A Religious Tangle Over the Hair of Pious Hindus". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
^ Tarlo, Emma (6 October 2016). Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair. Simon and Schuster. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-78074-993-8.
^ Mohammed, Irfan (20 March 2019). "India president confers Manju with Nari Shakti Puraskar award". Saudigazette. Retrieved 9 January 2021.

v t e Nari Shakti Puraskar recipients
1999	K. V. Rabiya Chinna Pillai Kinkri Devi
2013	Manasi Pradhan M. Venkaiah Bina Sheth Lashkari T. Radha K. Prashanti Vartika Nanda Seema Sakhare
2014	Rashmi Anand Nanditha Krishna Laxmi Gautam Neha Kirpal Latika Thukral Sai Balijepally P. Kausalya Swaraj Vidwan
2015	Lucy Kurien Saurabh Suman Basanti Devi Suparna Baksi Ganguly Meena Sharma Priti Patkar Uttara Padwar Polumati Vijaya Nirmala Vasu Primlani Sujata Sahu Jyoti Mhapsekar Sumita Ghosh Anjali Sharma Krishna Yadav Shakuntala Majumdar
2016	State of Rajasthan Chhanv Foundation Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) Sadhana Mahila Sangha Shikshit Rojgar Kendra Prabandhak Samiti Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram Ladies Troupe Amruta Patil Amala Akkineni Anatta Sonney Anoyara Khatun B. Codanayaguy Bano Haralu Deepa Mathur Divya Rawat Ilse Köhler Rollefson Janki Vasant Kalpana Shankar Kalyani Pramod Balakrishnan Mumtaz M. Kazi Nandita Shah Pallavi Fauzdar Pamela Malhotra Qamar Dagar Reema Sathe Ringyuichon Vashum Sangita Iyer Smita Tandi Sumitra Hazarika Sunita Singh Choken Subha Varier Tiasa Adhya V. Nanammal Zuboni Hümtsoe
2017	Gargi Gupta Sindhutai Sapkal Gauri Maulekhi Navika Sagar Parikrama Malvika Iyer R Umadevi Nagaraj Thinlas Chorol S. Siva Sathya Bharti Kashyap Beti Zindabad Bakery Mittal Patel Sabarmatee Tiki Jayamma Bandari K. Syamalakumari Vanastree Lizymol Philipose Pamadykandathil Chirom Indira Urmila Balawant Apte Deepika Kundaji Purnima Devi Barman Anita Bharadwaj Ambica Beri Pushpa Girimaji Avani (organization) Shrujan C. K. Durga Rekha Mishra Mehvish Mushtaq Karuna Society for Animals and Nature One Stop Centre, Raipur Millet Network of India State of Punjab Madhu Jain Jetsun Pema M.S. Sunil Sheela Balaji Anuradha Krishnamoorthy and Namrata Sundaresan Gita Mittal
2018	A. Seema Anshu Khanna Anu Malhotra Anuradha N. Naik Chetna Gala Sinha Darshana Gupta Devaki Amma Didi Contractor Gowri Kamakashi Hekani Jakhalu Ipsita Biswas Iti Tyagi Kagganapalli Radha Devi Kalpana Saroj Lalita Vakil Madhuri Barthwal Manju Manikuttan Meenakshi Pahuja Mini Vasudevan Munuswamy Shanthi Neelum Sharma Nomita Kamdar Pamela Chatterjee Pragya Prasun Priyamvada Singh Pushpa N. M. Rahibai Soma Popere Rajani Rajak Reshma Nilofer Naha Rhea Mazumdar Singhal Ruma Devi Seema Mehta Seema Rao Sister Shivani Smriti Morarka Snehlata Nath Sonia Jabbar Sujatha Mohan Sunita Devi Twinkle Kalia Urmi Basu One Stop Centre, Lucknow Millet Network of India Qasab-Kutch Craftswomen Producer Co. Ltd. Social Welfare & Nutritional Meal Programme Dept, Tamil Nadu
2019	Arifa Jan Avani Chaturvedi Bhageerathi Amma Bhawana Kanth Bina Devi Chami Murmu Kalavati Devi Karthyayani Amma Kaushiki Chakroborty Mohana Singh Nilza Wangmo Padala Bhudevi Rashmi Urdhwareshe Sardarni Mann Kaur Tashi and Nungshi Malik
2020	Anita Gupta Ushaben Dineshbhai Vasava Nasira Akhter Sandhya Dhar Nivruti Rai Tiffany Brar Padma Yangchan Jodhaiya Bai Baiga Saylee Nandkishor Agavane Vanita Jagdeo Borade Meera Thakur Jaya Muthu, Tejamma (joint) Ela Lodh Arti Rana
2021	Sathupati Prasanna Sree Tage Rita Takhe Madhulika Ramteke Niranjanaben Mukulbhai Kalarthi Pooja Sharma Anshul Malhotra Shobha Gasti Radhika Menon Kamal Kumbhar Sruti Mohapatra Batool Begam Thara Rangaswamy Neerja Madhav Neena Gupta

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