Stories of Courage #18: Ramabai Ranade

Ramabai Ranade (1863 – 1924) was a social worker from Bombay Presidency and one of the first women’s rights activists in the 19th century. She was married at the age of 11 to a man decades older than her, Justice Mahadev Ranade, already a distinguished scholar and social reformer. He was invested in her education and ensured that she could read Marathi, English, and Bengali. She dedicated her life to the social upliftment of women and women’s education. She was very forward thinking for her times and encouraged women to take up nursing as a profession.
 
Ramabai Ranade set up the Seva Sadan which worked not only with middle class women but also women from the margins of society, especially widows who in those days had to conform to strict social codes that circumscribed widowhood. She even trained women in public speaking and handiwork such as knitting. Her most significant literary contribution is her autobiography, written in Marathi, Amchya Ayushyatil Kahi Athwani. Her activities earned her the ire of conservative society, but she continued undeterred. 

Sources

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramabai_Ranade
  2. https://www.beaninspirer.com/ramabai-ranade-robust-supporter-of-womens-rights-and-wife-of-mahadev-ranade/
  3. http://memumbai.com/ramabai-ranade/
  4. https://feminisminindia.com/2017/06/12/ramabai-ranade-essay/
  5. http://www.streeshakti.com/bookR.aspx?author=3

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