Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay was also a freedom fighter and a social reformer and was greatly inspired by Gandhian ideals and the concept of non-violence.
Kamaladevi was also a prolific author. She wrote 18 books in total, covering topics such as women’s issues, Indian handicrafts, and her travels abroad. “Inner Recesses, Outer Spaces: A Memoir,” her autobiography, was released in 1986.
(कमलादेवी चट्टोपाध्याय भारतीय समाजसुधारक, स्वतंत्रता सेनानी, तथा भारतीय हस्तकला के क्षेत्र में नवजागरण लाने वाली गांधीवादी महिला थीं।)
Born: 3 April 1903, Mangaluru
Died: 29 October 1988, Mumbai
Contribution of Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay
- During the Freedom Struggle, she was a significant figure in the worldwide socialist feminist movement. She joined the Seva Dal in the early 1920s, which became the Hindustani Seva Mandal inside the Indian National Congress in 1924.
- Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay was in charge of the women’s wing and recruited, trained, and organized the Sevikas.
- Kamaladevi was closely associated with this organization and served as in charge of its women’s wing.
- In 1927, she led the All-India Women’s Conference.
- In 1936 Kamaladevi assumed the head role in the AIWC.
- She took upon the job to resettle nearly 50,000 Pathans from the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) in the wake of the post-Partition migrations.
- She also founded the Indian National Theatre (INT), which is now known as the National School of Drama, in 1944. It was a movement to support the freedom struggle by recognising and celebrating indigenous types of performances like dance, folklore, and mushairas.
Relevance in The Modern-Day Scenario
The Indian handicraft market had dwindled and eventually disappeared under British rule. The art was able to survive with very little money thanks to several of Kamala Devi’s institutions. However, the government’s latest Make in India handicrafts effort has gained traction and is expanding. Thus, exposing India’s potential and resurrecting the indigenous sector creates employment for youth while also assisting in the creation of our image on a global platform.
Awards to Kamala Devi
- Padma Bhushan (1955)
- Padma Vibhushan (1987)
- Ratna Sadsya (1974 by Sangeet Natak Akademi)
- Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1966)
- UNESCO awarded her in 1977
- Desikottama (by Shantiniketan)
- Member of Honour (by UNIMA – International Puppetry Association)
Some of her works
- Inner Recesses, Outer Spaces: Memoirs (autobiography)
- The Awakening of Indian women
- Uncle Sam’s empire
- Towards a National Theatre
- Socialism and Society
- Tribalism in India
- India’s Craft Tradition
- Traditions of Indian Folk Dance
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