Disha Annappa Ravi is an Indian youth climate change activist and a founder of Fridays For Future India. She gained media attention when she was arrested on 13 February 2021 for alleged involvement with an online toolkit related to Greta Thunberg and the 2020–2021 Indian farmers’ protests.
| Disha Annappa Ravi | |
|---|---|
| Profession | Climate change activist |
| Age | 22 |
| Father's Name | Ravi Annappa |
| Mother's Name | Manjula Nanjaiah |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Native Place | Tiptur in Tumkur district of Karnataka |
| Siblings | None |
More Facts on Disha Ravi
- She lives in Soladevanahalli, North Bengaluru, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. (a) (b)
- She was born in Bangalore. Her father is an athletics coach in Mysuru, Karnataka while her mother is a housewife.
- She is an aspiring chef, a vegan and an animal lover. She has a dog named Sammy.
- A fan of primatologist Jane Goodall, she wanted to pursue a career in ecological conservation and restoration, according to her friends.
- She is part of Fridays for Future, a climate activist group Greta Thunberg started in August 2018.
- Her grandparents are farmers. Her motivation to join climate activism came from seeing them struggle with the effects of the climate crisis.
- She was a college student when she attended cleanup drives in Hebbal, Bangalore and started the India wing of Fridays For Future in 2019. That year, she said the science on climate change is constantly changing and upgrading. Also that year, Thunberg took to Twitter to express her support for the farmers protesting near Delhi, India against farm laws.
- In 2020, she said the members of the India wing of Fridays For Future were labelled terrorists for objecting to the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification.
- In September 2020, she said countries like India are already experiencing a climate crisis. In the same month, she was one of the four activists featured in the British edition of Vogue.
- She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mount Carmel College in Bangalore. Upon graduation, she started working as a culinary experience manager with Goodmylk, a Bangalore-based company that produces plant-based food.
- She was accused of being a key conspirator in the formulation and dissemination of a Google document that indicates a copycat execution of a conspiracy behind the Farmers’ Republic Day violence in Delhi, India on January 26, 2021. She allegedly shared to Thunberg the campaign information document, which activists call a toolkit. On February 3, 2021, Thunberg shared the toolkit on Twitter but later deleted it and replaced it with a modified one. The cybercrime unit of the Delhi Police registered a first information report (FIR) on February 4, 2021 on charges of sedition, criminal conspiracy and promoting hatred against the creators of the toolkit.
- On February 14, 2021, she appeared before a court in Delhi. The prosecutor accused her of being part of a conspiracy against the Indian government with links to Khalistani separatists, which she denied. She said she was just supporting farmers because “they are our future and we all need to eat” and explained that she just made two edits to the toolkit sent to Thunberg and did not create it. The court remanded her to five-day custody of Delhi Police Special Cell.
