socialworkers

Social workers part 5

1Damodar Ganesh Bapat

Damodar Ganesh Bapat (1934 or 1935 – 17 August 2019)[1] was an Indian social worker known for his service to the leprosy patients at Bhartiya Kushta Nivarak Sangh (BKNS) in Janjgir–Champa district, Chhattisgarh, India. In 2018, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in recognition of his social work. He was also awarded the Chhattisgarh Rajya Alankar by the state of Chhattisgarh.

Bapat was born in the Pathrot village in Amravati district in Maharashtra, India in 1934 or 1935. He completed his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from Nagpur.[2] After completing his studies, he worked at several places. He was not happy with his jobs and was interested in social work

In 1970, he moved to Jashpur, in Chhattisgarh, and started volunteering with Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram which works in rural areas in India.[4] Initially he worked there as a teacher for the tribal children.[3] While teaching he also met leprosy patients and remained there to serve them throughout his life.[3]

He came in contact with Sadashiv Katre who had founded a community in 1962, named Bharatiya Kushtha Nivarak Sangh (BKNS) at village Sothi located 8 kilometres (5 mi) from Champa, to care for leprosy patients.[3] Bapat along with Katre worked together to cure the leprosy patients as well as their social and financial rehabilitation.[5] In 1975, Bapat was appointed the secretary of Bharatiya Kushtha Nivarak Sangh, and its growth thereafter is credited to him.[6] From 1972 until his death in 2019, he served leprosy patients.[4][6] He also worked to improve public awareness about leprosy.[3] Dainik Jagran reported in 2019 that he had improved the lives of an estimated 26,000 leprosy patients.

In 2018, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in recognition of his social work.[7] He was awarded the Chhattisgarh Rajya Alankar by the state of Chhattisgarh. Shri Badabazar Kumar Sabha Pustakalaya in Kolkata awarded him the Vivekananda Seva Puraskar; Bhaurao Deoras Foundation awarded him Bhaurao Deoras Seva Smruti Puraskar.[6]

On 12 September 2006, he was awarded the tenth Devi Ahilyabai National Award by Shri Ahilyotsav Samiti in Indore for his work in the rehabilitation, education and improvement in health of leprosy patients and making them self-reliant.

In July 2019, Bapat suffered a brain hemorrhage after which he was admitted to a Hospital in Bilaspur.[8] He died on 17 August 2019 at 2:35 a.m. at a hospital in Chhattisgarh at the age of 84 years.[1] He donated his body to Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences, Bilaspur for research purposes.[3]

The Governor of Chhattisgarh, Anusuiya Uikey and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel condoled his death appreciating his work in serving leprosy patients.

Neither he himself suffered from leprosy nor did he witness any of his near and dear ones undergoing the trauma of this dreaded disease. However, kindled by the spirit of inner voice this healthy man dedicated 46 years of his life to the service of these lepers who were despised and shunned even by their own people. Shri Damodar Ganesh Bapat not only arranged for the healing of their physical wounds but also fought a long battle for their financial independence and acceptance back into society.

Shri Bapat made it possible for these leprosy patients to regain their dignity and lead a self-reliant life at Ashram of Bhartiya Kushta Nivarak Sangh (BKNS) spread over a sprawling campus of 125 acres in Sonthi, district Champa of Chhattisgarh. This modern-day saint was honoured with “Padma Shri” in 2018 for his distinguished service to humanity. Not only his life was an offering but even after his death, he set an example for society by donating his body for medical research.

Born on 23rd April 1935 in a small village called Pathrot located in Amravati district of Maharashtra, Shri Bapat was a Svayamsevak (Sangh volunteer) since his early childhood days. His father Shri GaneshVinayak Bapat and his mother Shrimati Lakshmi Devi regard the founder of RSS, Dr Hedgewar ji as a divine incarnation because it was he, who has arranged for free lodging, boarding, and education of Shri Ganesh Vinayak Bapat when he was living in abject poverty.

The same reverence was there in the heart of Damodar Ganesh Bapat the third child of this couple. After Ganesh completed his B.Com, and when a business could not fascinate him anymore, he joined “Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram” and started to teach children in an out-and-out tribal village named Jashpur.

It was as if Katre ji and Bapat ji were destined to meet. The way Ramkrishna Paramhamsa in Kolkata longed to meet Narendra one day, similar was the plight of Shri Katre guruji, the founder of BKNS, who was managing this ashram for ten years since he contracted leprosy. Bapat ji made the ashram in Champa his home since 1972 when he came to see the Ashram for the first time. With time Katre ji was losing his vigour and vitality and Bapat ji took over the management of Sevasharm and started working towards fulfilling Katre ji’s dream.

Managing the ashram was not a cakewalk for young Ganesh Bapat ji and there were multiple challenges confronting him at that time. In those days, even the cured leprosy patients were suffering from depression because they considered themselves good for nothing and felt they were a burden to society. Bapat ji nursed the leprosy patients with his own hands to send across the message that leprosy is not proliferated by touching the affected.

He travelled the length and breadth of Bharat (India), not only to raise money for the ashram but also to shatter the myths surrounding this disease with his persistent efforts. For these patients to recover emotionally and mentally as well, a range of activities from growing vegetables to making chalks, to making carpets and ropes was started in the premises of the ashram. Thus earning a living reinvigorated their spirits who once thought themselves to be a liability to the ashram.

2Vijay Barse

Vijay Barse (born 5 February 1946)[1] is a social worker from Nagpur, India. He is known for having founded Slum Football, an organisation which uplifts underprivileged children through football. His efforts have led to upliftment of underprivileged children from Nagpur using football as a source.

Barse worked as a sports teacher in Hislop College, Nagpur. In 2001, he founded the Slum Soccer organisation after spotting a couple of underprivileged children playing with a makeshift football, inspiring him to start a soccer club. He established the Krida Vikas Sanstha Nagpur (KSVN) with his wife, Ranjana Barse, and son, Abhijeet Barse.[3]

Vijay Barse's story was also unveiled in Season 3's 1st episode of TV show Satyamev Jayate which was hosted by Actor Aamir Khan.

Vijay Barse has been transforming the lives of underprivileged youth in slums through ‘Jhopadpatti Football,’ popularly known as ‘Slum Soccer.’ The initiative has not only empowered the youths from the slum areas but also helped them to stay away from crime and drugs.

Vijay Barse from Nagpur, Maharashtra, set out on a mission in 2001 to rehabilitate the youth in slums through the game of football. Barse’s foundation, Slum Soccer, has gained global recognition for empowering underprivileged children and helping them fight addiction.

Barse, a physical education teacher, conceived the idea of the football league in 2001 when he saw a group of slum children kicking a broken bucket to play football.

Vijay Barse started Jhopadpatti Football the next year in 2002, which became famous as Slum Soccer. The league was an instant success, and children from all over Nagpur’s slums came to participate in the football competition.

Barse's struggle, his vision and his journey were captured in a big budget movie with one of the greatest actors in the country, Amitabh Bachchan, playing the lead. Bachchan played the role of the 77-year-old Barse in the 2022 film Jhund, directed by Nagraj Manjule.

Prof Borse’s journey

On one rainy day in July 2001, Prof Barse saw some slum children playing football with a small plastic broken bucket. It stuck him that when they were playing football, they were away from all the bad activities such as smoking, stealing, pick pocketing, drinking, etc. The whole scenario inspired him to do something for the underprivileged. He organized a football tournament for the youth which turned out to be successful.

Mr Barse was drawing a comfortable salary and his wife was also a professor. So he decided to spend a good share of his salary on the children. Family members were opposed to this idea. They felt he was wasting his money and children from the slums would never accept this idea or be reformed. But Mr Barse started with a local level slum football tournament which scaled up ultimately and became a national tournament. Mr Barse chose football because it's a very cheap game. All we need is a football, which costs only about ₹600.

Prof Barse decided to keep things simple. There were no rules like offside. The referee would whistle only when a goal was scored, or a player deliberately handled the ball near the goal.

When the national and international media came to know about what was happening in India, they began to take more interest. The famous UEFA came to know that Mr Barse was changing life in India through football. The message went international and other countries which faced similar problems like drug addiction among the youth realised the merit of this idea. Soon a homeless World Cup was organised.

In 2006, Mr Barse’s son, Abhijit came back to India from the US. He had been skeptical earlier. But once he realized the good work that was going on, he decided to join and strengthen his father’s hands.

Till 2008, there were no sponsorships. Mr Barse and his wife were meeting all the expenses. Since then he has received many sponsorships. The initiative has also led to other projects like EduKick where the students are taught English and maths through football. Deaf and dumb children are also being taught through football. Gender equality, leadership, menstrual hygiene are all being taught through football.

Mr Barse does not have any profit motive. He is simply guided by social responsibility. People have begun to trust him over time and now give money freely. Mr Barse is now being involved to spread awareness among Alcoholics. The entire Barse family (wife, son, daughter in law) is now involved in this work.

The government schemes to promote sports are good but the last mile implementation is a major challenge. Children are not encouraged by their parents to play sports. A sportsperson’s career lasts till the age of 20 to 30 typically. And in India we have encouraged games like cricket instead of football, hockey and table tennis. Internationally, football is a far more lucrative sport with much more money involved.

Prof Barse’s target is very simple, though ambitious. At the age of 14, he wants the children to play at a district level, at the age of 15 at the state level, at the age of 16 at the national level and a year later to take part in premier tournaments like ISL. Finally at the age of 18 they should be selected to the India team. Already the results have started to come. In the very first year, the children training with him have won state level tournaments.

Prof Barse takes good care of the children. There are children from all parts of the country who are with him and despite language problems they are enjoying the whole process of coaching. Prof Barse believes that hard work and commitment will guarantee success. Already his children have won against other academies which are well funded.

Prof Barse is a Christian but he's truly secular in his outlook. He celebrates all festivals. He believes humanity is more important than religion. He truly believes in being a good samaritan and he is confident that he can produce national level footballers from his small AcademBehal

3Monisha Behal

Monisha Behal is an Indian social development activist working for the social and economic development and empowering women in Assam, Nagaland and other neighboring states in eastern India. She is a founding member of North East Network, a women's rights organisation linking with rural and urban women and organisations on development and related issues within North

East India

Monisha travels extensively in rural areas of India, conducting research, giving talks and writing several articles to highlight issues of the North East of India. She initiated several projects on women's development within the region, one of which has grown into a significant community based initiative in Nagaland..

Monisha Behal is the CEO of North East Network (NEN), a women's rights organisation connecting with rural and urban women and organisations on development and related issues within North East India. started in 1995, where ,[1]

Chizami Weaves is a decentralised livelihood project started by Behal in the mid-1990s to create opportunities for the women of Chizami, a small village in Nagaland's Phek district. Today it has a network of more than 300 women in Chizami and 10 other villages in Phek district, and their work is now sold across India.

Monisha Behal’s larger-than-life experiences went hand-in-hand with her impactful social research

At the age of 11, a young Monisha Behal was helping army jawans and victims of the Sino-Indian war of 1962, when the citizens of her hometown Tezpur received an evacuation letter. The Chinese invaders were just 40 miles (about 65 km) away, but Behal and her mother refused to leave. The co-founder of North East Network has lived an adventurous life. When not helping her mother — an active member of the Tezpur Mahila Samiti, a co-operative organisation — she would run off to play with the animals in her neighbourhood. The outdoorsy little girl had ample intellectual stimulation too. Born in 1951, into a family of writers, filmmakers, poets and activists, she had an early exposure to different cultures. “A lot of people visited us, even from rural areas. There were poetry and literary sessions at home,” recalls Behal. Going around with her mother, meeting women from different walks of life was a major influence on Behal.

in the thick of political activities such as resettling Tibetan ‘refugees’, a term she says she is not comfortable with, in Missamari. The women from the Samiti, on this side of the border, stitched blankets, gathered food and clothes for them, as a gesture of friendship. Behal too went with them.

She noticed early on that, although the Northeast seemed a better place for women — with less casteism and gender bias, and strong co-operative networks as compared to other states — reality was different. Women were partially independent through their weaving work in co-operatives, but weren’t allowed to step outside their homes. Many had survived domestic and s****l abuse, and worked for lower wages on farm lands.

Resolving these and working to improve on other areas, such as better sanitation, gender responsive budgeting and equality in governance, would soon become the motto of Behal’s life. Her brand of feminism, she says, is “liberal”. She would rather use her research and numbers to sensitise people, than give in to empty sloganeering and public protests.

Influenced by women’s rights movements by Ela Bhatt, founder of Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and co-operative organiser, and her personal interest in government’s policy making, Behal took up the role of researcher at a young age. In 1974, she did her first major research on the Wancho tribe when she visited Tirap district of erstwhile NEFA (North-East Frontier Agency) now in Arunachal Pradesh with her friend. The study was on the exiled villages, where a few members of the tribe lived after being ostracised. Although Behal had simply accompanied her friend, a researcher, she ended up doing her own study.

She moved to Darjeeling in 1960 to study at Loreto Convent but, every time she visited Tezpur for vacations, she would go to the nearby villages and interview people. She even maintained a diary of frequent shutdowns here, a result of rampant insurgency.

Behal was bitten by the activism bug during her time in Delhi as a student. In the early and mid-70s, as a student, she was influenced greatly by the leftist movement and began reading up on it. She did her BA in Political Science from Indraprastha College for Women followed by an MA and PhD from JNU under the Centre for the Study of Social Systems. She later pursued another PhD in Folklore from Gauhati University.

Behal’s life changed when she started working with academician and political scientist Vina Mazumdar in 1980 at the Centre for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS) in Delhi. Mazumdar headed the institute and had also co-authored the first book on the state of Indian women post-independence in 1974, named Towards Equality: Report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India. It was she who suggested Behal to do a thorough research on the state of women in northeastern states, which in turn opened the doors to many reforms that Behal would work towards in the coming years.

In 1984, while she was researching for CWDS in a village in Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh, Behal was shocked to see the oppressive condition of not just women but also men because of casteism. The northeastern states, she says, with higher presence of tribes who have their own set of norms and mores was less plagued by this ancient social evil. The area also had existing co-operatives and the people were welcoming of change, believes Behal.

On returning to Assam, she started working at a school in Tezpur, which granted her funds to work with rural women weavers. “When I chose the Northeast, I knew half my battle was won,” she saBordi

4Anil Bordia

Anil Bordia was an Indian educationist, social activist and former civil servant,[1] widely respected for his contributions to the Indian education sector.[2] The Government of India honoured him, in 2010, with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, for his services to the fields of education and literature on education.

Anil Bordia was born on 5 May 1934 in the Indian city of Indore, in Madhya Pradesh. He had his schooling at Vidya Bhavan in Udaipur and graduated from the M. B. College, Udaipur. He secured his post graduate degree from the St. Stephen's College, and, later, qualified for the Indian Administrative Service examination in 1957.[2]

After his retirement from the government service in 1992, Anil Bordia embarked on an education program for young illiterates in Rajasthan, which he conceptualised and named, Lok Jumbish'. He guided the programme until 1999; it was stated to be a highly successful initiative.[2] In 2001, Bordia launched another movement, Doosra Dashak, which was aimed at the education and development of the youth.[2]

He also headed a committee, Right To Education (RTE) committee, which submitted a detailed report with suggestions to synchronise the norms and strategies of the RTE with that of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a government program mandated to achieve Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE), so that operational synergies are achieved. He was also vocal about women's role in the society and girls' participation in primary education.

Anil Bordia is remembered for his contributions in rejuvenating the education sector of the country and played a part in its policy formations, especially the National Education Policy of 1986. He was an active participant in the universalisation of education in Rajasthan and Bihar.[2] He worked for the empowerment of marginalised communities and women which he tried to achieve through society participation and community resources. He is acknowledged as an expert in micro planning and positive decision making.of

nil Bordia's name featured in an administrative litigation, when J. C. Jetli, a senior IAS officer, approached the Central Administrative Tribunal, against Bordia's appointment as a Government Secretary, superseding Jetli's claims. The case precipitated a CAT judgment asking the Central Government to lay down norms and guidelines for the appointment of cabinet secretaries.

He also had to meet with opposition during the Lok Jumbish program, when the rural people wanted full-fledged schools, rather than the system Bordia suggested, which finally led to the untimely cessation of the program in the state of

Mr Anil Bordia (1934–2012), as an able administrator, visionary and activist played proactive role in the formulation of a number of innovative education policies and programmes. His contribution in designing New Education Policy- 1986 and Programme of Action – 1992, National University of Education, Policy and Administration (NUEPA) Circular , and launching innovative educational programmes such as, 'Mahila Samakhya', 'Shiksha Karmi', 'Lok Jumbish' 'Doosra Dashak', etc., is quite significant.

Anil Bordia was a civil servant who was passionate about taking education to the masses and making every Indian literate. In this endeavour, he roped in academicians, activists, journalists and educationists who would otherwise have maintained a distance from "government work", wrote Rajesh Tandon in Testing the Limits of the System , He worked within the system to change it and subvert its regressive tendencies

Anil Bordia was a civil servant who was passionate about taking education to the masses and making every Indian literate. In this endeavour, he roped in academicians, activists, journalists and educationists who would otherwise have maintained a distance from "government work". He worked within the system to change it and subvert its regressive tendencies.

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Anil Bordia: Testing the Limits of the System

Commentary

Vol. 47, Issue No. 40, 06 Oct, 2012

Published on 27 September 2012

Rajesh Tandon

Anil Bordia was a civil servant who was passionate about taking education to the masses and making every Indian literate. In this endeavour, he roped in academicians, activists, journalists and educationists who would otherwise have maintained a distance from "government work". He worked within the system to change it and subvert its regressive tendencies.

It is uncommon to find an Indian A­dministrative Service (IAS) officer being described as a “champion of education and an activist civil servant”. Yet, this is the description that best e­xplains Anil Bordia’s life and work. Bordia passed away on the night of 2 September at the age of 79.

I first met Bordiaji in the summer of 1977 at Seva Mandir in Udaipur. Bhaisaheb (the late Mohan Singh Mehta) introduced us; I was doing my fieldwork in southern Rajasthan then. He asked me to meet him in Delhi to discuss the new adult education programme that was being launched – the National Adult Education Programme (NAEP). Following extensive discussions with many of us on Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppres­sed which had just been released, he ­decided to introduce the principles of awareness raising in this first national programme of adult education. He ensured that innovations in participatory training methodology and production of critical learning materials for literacy and adult education were mainstream­ed in the NAEP. He also encouraged the large-scale involvement of voluntary agencies in the implementation of this programme. These steps were very risky then, but he followed them up with great enthusiasm.

Anil Bordia was an Indian educationist, social activist and former civil servant, widely respected for his contributions to the Indian education sector. The Government of India honoured him, in 2010, with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, for his services to the fields of education and literature on education.

Anil Bordia was born on 5 May 1934 in the Indian city of Indore, in Madhya Pradesh. He had his schooling at Vidya Bhavan in Udaipur and graduated from the M. B. College, Udaipur. He secured his post graduate degree from the St. Stephen's College, and, later, qualified for the Indian Administrative Service examination in 1957.

5Anurupa Debi

Anurupa Debi (9 September 1882 – 19 April 1958) (also known as, Anurupa Devi)[2] was one of the most reputed female novelists in Bengali literature in the British colonial era. She was also an eminent short story writer, poet as well as a social worker. Debi was one of the first female writers in Bengali literature to gain considerable prominence and popularity.

Anurupa Debi was born on 9 September 1882 to then Deputy Magistrate and writer, Mukunda Mukhopadhyay and Dhorasundari Debi at her maternal uncle's house at Shyambazar, Calcutta (now, Kolkata). Social reformer, Bhudeb Mukhopadhyay was her paternal grandfather. Her maternal grandfather, Nagendranath Bandopadhyay was one of the founder-members of famous Bangiya Natyashala. Her elder sister Surupa Devi (1879-1922) was also an famous novelist of her time who used to write in her pseudonym, Indira Devi.[4]

At the age of ten, she married Shikharnath Bandopadhyay, in Chinsura, Hooghly.[5] They passed a vast period of their life in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

Due to severe physical illness in her childhood, Anurupa Debi started to learn a little late. While she was bedridden, her elder sister Surupa Devi used to recite Kashidasi Mahabharata and Krittivasi Ramayana to pass their leisure time. Also, according to rules of their family, during their Grandpa's leisure time, they would sit next to him and listen to one chapter of Mahabharata and Ramayana each day. As a result, Anurupa Debi easily absorbed that subject in her mind. In this context, she said, "Even though at that time I was illiterate, but it cannot be said that I was uneducated, as I memorised most of the stories of Ramayana-Mahabharata. At that time I was of 7."[6]

Her elder sisters used to practice writing poetry by reading Sanskrit poems from their Grandpa. Thus, she also became educated in her childhood under the patronage of their Grandpa, Bhudeb Mukhopadhyay and father Mukunda Mukhopadhyay. She had a special fondness for education and learning since her childhood. Besides Bengali, she earned considerable mastery in Sanskrit and Hindi. She used to study to a lot of books of various Western Scholars and therefore became acquainted with Western science and philosophy.

Till the mid-19th century, Indian women were deprived from education and people used to restrict them only within household chores, as they remained largely uneducated. It was seen as a social 'crime' for them to be educated or to achieve basic level of education. They didn't have equal rights at all. In the context of severe gender discrimination, Debi broke the chain and established herself as an eminent Bengali novelist, writer and poet of her time.[4]

Once in her childhood, her elder sister Surupa Devi sent her letters on colorful papers in form of poetry. Reading that letter Anurupa Devi became confused how should she reply. When she asked her Grandpa for advice, Bhudeb babu insisted her to write the reply in form of poetry. On advice of her Grandpa, Anurupa Devi wrote a reply letter in form of poetry as given below:

She successfully composed Markandeya Chandi in a poem and the starting chapter of Valmiki Ramayana before the age of only 10.[4]

Debi used not to reveal her initial literary endeavors to anyone except her elder sister, Surupa Devi, who used to write in her pseudonym, Indira Devi.[8] Her first piece of work got published in Kuntalin Purashkar Granthamala with the pseudonym, Rani Devi.

In 2013, Swapna Dutta writes for The Hindu, Anurupa "ruthlessly pointed out the evils of the prevalent social code," and "Nearly all her novels were made into successful stage plays and films.

was a Bengali writer and poet known prominently as one of the pioneers of women’s writing in Bengali literature. She was born on 9th September 1982. She primarily wrote against the societal institutions of her times and was ruthless in her critique. She wrote about the taboo subjects of dowry, widowhood, and forced marriages. She wrote over thirty-five books in her long-spanning career. In 1906 she published her first work Tilakuthi in the Nabanoor magazine under the pseudonym Rani Devi. The story was featured in the Kuntaleen Purashkar Granthamala and won the coveted Kuntaleen Award and. Debi gained popularity after her stories were published in popular Bengali magazines such as Bharati.

Her other works include Poshyaputra(1912), Jyotihara (1915), Mantrashakti(1915), Maa (1920), and Uttarayan (1923). Mantra shakti and Maa were adapted into successful films, while many of her other works have become popular in the Bengali theatre. Besides her writing, Debi remained vocal and critical of the social evils of the times and worked extensively to advance women’s rights. Debi and her sister Surupa Devi, another major literary figure who wrote under the pseudonym Indira Devi , were instrumental in highlighting women’s issues and social position in society. She worked extensively to promote education and conduct among young girls and opened prominent education centers for the cause. Her work remains prominent and unparalleled in the Bengali literary canon.

Due to severe physical illness in her childhood, Anurupa Debi started to learn a little late. While she was bedridden, her elder sister Surupa Devi used to recite Kashidasi Mahabharata and Krittivasi Ramayana to pass their leisure time. Also, according to rules of their family, during their Grandpa's leisure time, they would sit next to him and listen to one chapter of Mahabharata and Ramayana each day. As a result, Anurupa Debi easily absorbed that subject in her mind. In this context, she said, "Even though at that time I was illiterate, but it cannot be said that I was uneducated, as I memorised most of the stories of Ramayana-Mahabharata. At that time I was of 7."[6]

Her elder sisters used to practice writing poetry by reading Sanskrit poems from their Grandpa. Thus, she also became educated in her childhood under the patronage of their Grandpa, Bhudeb Mukhopadhyay and father Mukunda Mukhopadhyay. She had a special fondness for education and learning since her childhood. Besides Bengali, she earned considerable mastery in Sanskrit and Hindi. She used to study to a lot of books of various Western Scholars and therefore became acquainted with Western science and philosophy.

writers in Bengali literature to gain considerable prominence and popularity.

Sharvari S.R. Jadhav.