Vasu Primlani

Ritu Vasu Primlani is an Indian stand-up comedian and environmentalist. She received the 2015 Nari Shakti Puraskar from the Government of India for her work. Primlani grew up in New Delhi, India, and received a master's degree from UCLA in Geography, Urban Planning and Law. She is also a fitness enthusiast and has done five half marathons, two Olympic-distance triathlons, a Half Ironman and a sprint triathlon. Currently based out of Delhi, she is also a somatic therapist.

Primlani founded the non-profit Thimmakka's Resources for Environmental Education in the United States. This organisation provided environmental consulting services for restaurants and it received the California Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in 2003, and she was appointed an Ashoka Fellow for her work with restaurants. Her organisation also received a US EPA region 9 award in 2003. In July 2014, Primlani was accused of cheating by Saalumarada Thimmakka, a Bengaluru-based environmentalist, for using her name to solicit money from the United States.

Primlani has produced, headlined in, and performed in hundreds of corporate and comedy club shows across the world, including in New York City, San Francisco, Mumbai, Dubai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Pune, and Delhi. She tackles social messaging through her comedy, giving voice to daring issues such as the environment, human rights, and rape. In 2024, she released her first graphic novel, JUTA, in New Delhi, India, and started working as Knoxville's new sustainability director.