Thripthi Shetty: From Margins to Mainstage – Kerala’s Trailblazing Transgender Entrepreneur

Kochi, Kerala – When society wrote her off, she rewrote the script.
Meet Thripthi Shetty—artist, activist, business visionary, and Kerala’s first transgender entrepreneur who turned adversity into art and barriers into bridges.

Born as Kiran in Manjeshwar, Kasaragod, on November 2, 1986, Thripthi’s early life was shadowed by loss and identity suppression. Orphaned and emotionally isolated, she left her hometown in 2004 and ventured into Chennai and Mumbai—not to escape, but to evolve. She worked grueling jobs, saved silently, and ultimately underwent gender-affirming surgery—emerging proudly as Thripthi Shetty.

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💼 From Handicraft to Headline

Thripthi wasn’t content with just living her truth—she set out to build an empire rooted in authenticity.

• She joined the Kudumbashree Mission’s special NHG in Kochi East, where she learned the art of jewellery-making using silk thread, black metal, stones, and even upcycled liquor bottles.

• With a ₹1,00,000 loan from SBI, she launched Thripthi Handicrafts, debuting at Kochi’s Marine Drive with a sold-out exhibition that turned heads and hearts.

• Her style wasn’t just aesthetic—it was ethical, blending culture, sustainability, and self-expression.

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📲 Digital Disruption with a Cause

In 2018, Thripthi shattered yet another ceiling by:

✔ Becoming the first transgender artisan to register with the Handicrafts Development Corporation of Kerala
✔ Receiving an official Artisan ID from the Ministry of Textiles
✔ Launching her own mobile app, Thripthi Handicrafts, allowing artisans—especially trans and marginalized individuals—to market directly to customers

Each app purchase even donated ₹10 to transgender welfare—because for Thripthi, business without community is just a transaction.

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🐠 Scaling the Waters: Thripthi Aquatics

Her passion expanded beyond craft. With guidance from CMFRI’s Innovation Hub, she launched Thripthi Aquatics, an ornamental fish breeding unit that weathered the COVID storm and came back stronger—earning her a Women’s Day honor from CMFRI in 2023.

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💍 Love & Legacy

Thripthi’s life partner, Hrithik M, is a fellow transgender entrepreneur and fish breeder. Together, they became Kerala’s first transgender entrepreneur couple, and even pledged their bodies for medical research—challenging archaic health policies and redefining representation in science.

Their love story is more than symbolic—it’s a social blueprint for shared dignity and purpose.

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🗳️ Voice for the Voiceless

While running businesses, Thripthi also champions:

• Transgender access to voter IDs, housing schemes, and financial inclusion

• Representation in policymaking and government benefits

• Visibility for Kerala’s ~25,000-strong transgender community, many of whom remain invisible on paper

She uses her platforms not just to promote products, but to push for policy change.

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🎯 Her Next Mission

Thripthi envisions a flagship handicraft emporium—a tourist magnet and social enterprise run exclusively by transgender artisans. All she asks for is government support, retail space, and the chance to multiply her impact.

“When one of us rises, we all rise. My dream is to see 10,000 Thripthis tomorrow.”
— Thripthi Shetty

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📝 Quick Glance: Thripthi Shetty

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🔥 Thripthi Shetty isn’t waiting for a seat at the table—she’s building her own and inviting others to join.