Feminist and anti-colonialist activist, Sarala Devi Chaudhurani (1872 – 1945) founded the first women’s organization in India in 1910, with the primary objective of promoting girls’ education.
Daughter from a family of intellectuals
Born September 9, 1872 in Jorasanko, a wealthy neighborhood north of Kolkata (Calcutta) in India, Sarala Ghosal was born into a wealthy, intellectual and politically engaged family. His mother, Swarnakumari Devi [English], is a renowned writer, poet, novelist and musician, herself the daughter of the philosopher Debendranath Tagore. His father, Janakinath Ghosal, is one of the first secretaries of the Indian National Congress.
Sarala grew up in an India under British domination, which had just been agitated by the revolt of the sepoys, a war of independence in which the râni Lakshmi Bâî notably distinguished herself. In the decades following this large-scale revolt, a national consciousness and a desire for independence arose and grew.
Bharati
Sarala is one of the rare girls of her time to study. In 1890, she received a degree in English literature from Bethune College, a women's college affiliated with the University of Kolkata; brilliant, she receives the Padmavati Gold Medal of the best student. Besides her knowledge of English literature, Sarala also knows Persian, French, Sanskrit, and is interested in poetry and music.
After completing her studies, Sarala moved to what was then Mysore State; she takes a job there as a teacher in a school for girls. She only spent a year there, after which she returned to Kolkata to work for the Bharati newspaper. first created and edited by his uncles Jyotirindranath Tagore and Dwijendranath Tagore. Sarala worked there with her mother and her sister Hironmoyee from 1895, then edited it alone from 1899 to 1907. In addition to her love of literature, she infused the journal with her patriotism and her emerging political commitments.
Activist
In parallel, Sarala writes and composes songs for the Indian National Congress. It was in this context that in 1901 she met the famous political leader and architect of Indian independence Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. A lasting friendship develops between the two, and Sarala becomes a supporter of Gandhi.
Patriot, favorable to the independence of India, Sarala is also involved in the defense of women's rights, in particular the right to education and economic emancipation. In 1904, she founded Lakshmir Bhandar in Kolkata, a store to promote women's crafts in the region.
The following year, under pressure from her family, Sarala married Rambhuj Dutt Chaudhary, a lawyer, journalist and nationalist leader, and became Sarala Devi Chaudhary. The couple will have a son, Dipak. After the marriage, she moved to Punjab and worked with her husband in the editing of the Urdu magazine Hindusthan .
Bharat Stree Mahamandal
In 1910, Sarala Devi Chaudhary founded the Bharat Stree Mahamandal , the “organization of all Indian women”, considered by the first women’s association in India. The organization primarily aims to defend a subject that is particularly close to its heart:the promotion, development and improvement of the education of girls and women in India.
With her association, Sarala wishes to defend and unify all Indian women. Branches of the organization are created in many cities of the country, in particular in Lahore and Karachi (today in Pakistan), in Delhi, in Kolkata, in Hazaribagh or in Kanpur. Membership in the association costs one rupee; it is open to all women regardless of caste.
Last commitments
Rambhuj died in 1923, and Sarala Devi Chaudhurani returned to live in Kolkata with her family. Between 1924 and 1926, she took over the editing work of the magazine Bharati . In 1930, the activist deepened her commitment to women's education and founded the Bharat Stree Shiksa Sadan , a school for girls in Kolkata.
Sarala retired from public life in 1935, aged 63. She died ten years later, in August 1945. Just two years before India's independence.