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Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was a braveheart, an ardent freedom fighter, a social reformer and an advocate of Indian handlooms, handicrafts, theatre and cooperative movements. She was a feminist at heart and has worked tirelessly for the upliftment of women and craftsmanship. Her story as one of the women freedom fighters of India is often unheard of. Let us get to know about Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and her life story through this blog.
Table of Contents
| Overview of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay | |
| Birth | 3 April, 1903 |
| Advocated for | Women Upliftment, Widow marriage and against Child marriage. |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan, Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, etc |
| Books | The Awakening of Indian Women, Inner Recesses, Outer Spaces: Memoirs (autobiography), The Glory of Indian Handicrafts, etc |
| Died | 29 October, 1988, aged 85 |
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: Early Life and Education
Kamaladevi was born on April 3, 1903, in Mangalore( present Mangaluru) to Girijamma and Ananthaya Dhareshwar, who was the District Collector of Mangalore.
- She completed her primary education at St Ann’s Convent school.
- Unfortunately, she lost her sister and father at a young age. Due to the inheritance laws of the time, her father’s estate was passed on to his first wife’s son.
- Kamaladevi’s mother faced many challenges in raising her alone, but her mother’s independence greatly influenced Kamaladevi’s character and personality.
- Kamaladevi grew up with her mother at her uncle’s house, where she met several political figures of the time, including M G Ranade, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and Annie Besant.
- At the age of 14, she got married, but her husband passed away two years later.
- She pursued her education at Queen Mary’s College in Chennai and later married her second husband, Harindranath Chattopadhyay.
- This decision was controversial at the time, as widow remarriage was not accepted by the society’s more traditional members.
- Despite this, she also earned a diploma in sociology from Bedford College, University of London.
- However, she had to end her marriage with Harindranath Chattopadhyay and created history by becoming the first person to get a legal divorce through an Indian Court of Law.
Also Read – Top 7 Famous Female Leaders in Indian History
Kamladevi Chattopadhyay’s Contribution to Freedom Struggle
After hearing about Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement, Kamaladevi returned to India in 1923 and joined Seva Dal, an organization focused on social upliftment.
- She became friends with Margaret Cousins, who founded the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) in 1927.
- With Cousins’ support, Kamaladevi became the first Indian woman to run for a legislative seat in the Madras Provincial Assembly, though she narrowly lost.
- She also served as the Organizing Secretary for the AIWC.
She established educational institutions for women and participated in Gandhi’s salt march (salt satyagraha), where she was arrested for selling contraband salt in the Bombay Stock Exchange and spent nearly a year in prison. After World War II, Kamaladevi travelled extensively, meeting leaders in the fight for women’s rights in Europe and the USA.
On January 26, 1930, she gained national recognition for her act of holding onto the Indian tricolour during a protest.
- In 1936, she became the president of the Congress Socialist Party, joining Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia.
- Kamaladevi was a prominent feminist of her time, challenging Gandhi’s policy of excluding women from the Dandi March.
- She campaigned for the Central Assembly to pass important bills, including the Child Marriage Restraint Bill and the Age of Consent Bill, and advocated for the recognition of women’s work both inside and outside the home.
- She also supported the Uniform Civil Code, aiming to secure women’s rights to property inheritance and children’s guardianship.
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Role of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: Post-Independence
After the country was divided, she took on the task of helping people rebuild their lives. She helped create the Indian Cooperative Union to support this effort and established the cooperative town of Faridabad, which was built with the help of the community and no government funding. This town became a home for about 50000 refugees from the Northwest Frontier.
She is best known for her efforts in preserving and promoting Indian art and crafts.
- She opened museums dedicated to crafts, like the Theatre Crafts Museum in Delhi, and helped start the National Awards for Master Craftsmen.
- She also worked to keep alive several at-risk art forms, such as Kalamkari art, by encouraging its teachers to teach more students.
- Kamaladevi also helped create important organizations like the All India Handicrafts Board, the Crafts Council of India, and the National School of Drama.
- Additionally, she established the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography in Bangalore.
Awards and Honours of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
| Year | Awards and Honours |
| 1955 | Padma Bhushan |
| 1966 | Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership |
| 1974 | Ratna Sadsya (by Sangeet Natak Akademi) |
| 1977 | National UNESCO Award |
| 1987 | Padma Vibhushan |
| Her other honours include – Desikottama given by Shantiniketan and Member of Honour by UNIMA – International Puppetry Association | |
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was also honoured by Google with a Doodle on their homepage on her 115th Birthday.
Books by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
Some of her works include –
| Books | Published in |
| The Awakening of Indian Women | 1939 |
| Inner Recesses, Outer Spaces: Memoirs (autobiography) | 1986 |
| Uncle Sam’s empire | 1944 |
| Towards a National Theatre | 1945 |
| At the Cross Roads | 1947 |
| Socialism and Society | 1950 |
| Tribalism in India | 1978 |
| The Glory of Indian Handicrafts | 1985 |
| India’s Craft Tradition | 2000 |
Her other works also include- America: The Land of Superlatives, Japan-its weakness and strength, Indian Women’s Battle for Freedom, etc. Kamaladvi Chattopadhyay died, aged 85, on 29th October 1988 in Bombay.
Relevant Blogs
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