Sat Jan 25 13:51:38 UTC 2025: ## Former Bollywood Actress Takes Sanyas, Appointed Mahamandaleshwar, Faces Backlash
**Prayagraj, India** – Former Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni has renounced her acting career and embraced spirituality, undergoing a ceremony to become a Mahamandaleshwar (a high-ranking spiritual leader) in Prayagraj on Friday, January 24th. She now goes by the name Shriyamai Mamtanand Giri. Her new life, marked by saffron robes, a forehead tilak, and a beaded necklace, has however sparked immediate controversy.
Kinnar (transgender) Mahamandaleshwar, Himangi Sakhi, has questioned the appointment, challenging Kulkarni’s inclusion in the Kinnar Akhada (transgender monastic order). Sakhi questioned the legitimacy of the appointment, citing Kulkarni’s past controversies. Speaking to ANI, Sakhi highlighted the Kinnar Akhada’s purpose as a space for transgender individuals and questioned why a cisgender woman was appointed Mahamandaleshwar. Sakhi’s statement raises concerns about the criteria for such appointments and the implications for the identity and purpose of the Kinnar Akhada. The controversy highlights a growing debate surrounding the inclusion and representation within religious organizations in India.
First Piper 