Rahul Easwar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Kerala, India |
| Occupations | Public policy commentator and activist [1] |
| Spouse | Deepa Pillai [2] |
Rahul Easwar is an Indian public policy commentator, philosophy author, advocate and activist [3] from Kerala. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Rahul Easwar | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | Kerala, India |
| Occupations | Public policy commentator and activist [1] |
| Spouse | Deepa Pillai [2] |
Rahul Easwar is an Indian public policy commentator, philosophy author, advocate and activist [3] from Kerala. [4] [5] [6] [7]
He has completed only higher secondary education (+2) and does not hold a college degree. He later attended short-term executive education programmes, including a 6 to 8 week online certificate course offered by the London School of Economics and a short-duration Senior Leaders Programme at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. These are certificate programmes rather than academic degrees and do not confer alumni status. [8]
Rahul Easwar was born in Kerala, to Easwaran Namboothiri and Mallika into a Malayali Nambudiri Brahmin family. [9] He is also the grandson of Kandararu Maheshwararu, who was the Senior Supreme priest of the Sabarimala temple. [10] His wife is Deepa (née Deepa Vijayan Pillai). [11] He is an executive member of the Munnokka Samudaya Samrakshana Munnani and the secretary of the Hindu Parliament. [10] [12] Easwar was selected as the Flag Ambassador of the Mahatma Gandhi National Foundation which aims to achieve National integration. [13] Easwar proposed a Commission for Men on the lines of the Commission for Women and Youth Commission. [14]
He is a ubiquitous presence on Malayalam regional TV News channels and National Indian TV news Channels, often being described as a "right-wing political activist". He was the winner of Malayalee House , an adaptation of the reality television show Big Brother . [15] He has given talks at TEDxIIM, TEDxSRM and TEDxNMIMS. [16] [3]
Rahul Easwar publicly supported Rahul Mamkootathil during the period when Mankootam faced allegations involving sexual assault and forced abortion. Easwar appeared on television discussions as a spokesperson defending Rahul Mamkootathil while Rahul Mamkootathil was in hiding. During these discussions, Easwar was accused of insulting and dehumanising the complainant and of revealing identifying details about her, which is prohibited under Indian law. He was subsequently arrested in connection with these actions. [17] [18]
Easwar received death threats from ISIS terrorists when he was the guest for the Jamat-e-Islami religious harmony function in Kochi. [19] Females of age group 10 to 50 are prohibited from entering the Sabarimala temple, because the resident deity, Lord Ayyappā is a celibate (Naiṣṭika Brahmacārya). [20] [21] [22] In September 2018, after a 20-year legal challenge, the Supreme Court lifted the ban. [23] Easwar and his group Ayyappa Dharma Sena protested the decision. [24] [25] Easwar became the face of the Sabarimala protests and was arrested for protesting. [26] [27] [28] [29]
| Year | Program | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Malayalee House | Contestant | Winner |
| 2016 – 2017 | Smart Brain | Quiz Master | Quiz show |
| 2018 – 2020 | Sreshtabharatham | Judge | Host |
| 2013 – present | Around the World | Host | Safari TV |