Google Doodle Celebrates Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, And Here’s Why You Need To Know Her
As I write this out, I find it both tragic and inspiring that we’ve probably never heard of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. It’s obviously tragic because we should know of her. We should be proud of her. And perhaps, what is worse is that we finally get to know of her from a Google doodle. On Kamaladevi’s 115th birth anniversary today, Google celebrated by putting up a doodle to celebrate her. And it’s inspiring because in Indian history that boasts of so many powerful men, she put women right up there!
Kamaladevi was a woman who had many firsts to her name. In 1926, she ran for the Madras Provincial Legislative Assembly becoming the first woman to ever run for a legislative seat in India. She also entered the Bombay Stock Exchange to sell contraband salt resulting in her getting arrested and she spent almost a year in prison. She was the first Indian woman to be arrested.
Born today in 1903, Kamaladevi was married young at 14. Two years later, she was widowed. She then moved to London pursued her higher education and then returned to India. It was then that she joined the Indian National Congress in 1927.
Perhaps, we best know her , if at all, for being strongly persuasive with Mahatma Gandhi to urge women to participate actively in the movements during India’s independence struggle.
Several prestigious institutes owe their birth to her vision. National School of Drama, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Central Cottage Industries Emporium, and the Crafts Council of India all exist today because of the pioneering works of Kamaladevi.
We are forever indebted to this lady for what she has done for the country.
