By Prf. A.V. Narasimha Murthy, former Head, Department of Ancient History & Archaeology, University of Mysore
Recently, I had an occasion to preside over a function in which a biography of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was released. The book in Kannada is written by Sevanthi D. Rai, well-known to Kannada readers by her publications. The others who participated in the function also praised the author for this easily readable biography of the great lady, a genius of yesteryears. The life and achievements of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya are simply amazing.
She was born in 1903 at Mangalore in a rich Saraswat Brahmin family. Most people do not know that Kamaladevi is from Karnataka because of the association of her name with her husband’s name Chattopadhyay. Her parental house consisted of 14 rooms with a huge garden. Her father was a top government officer. Thus she grew in such good surroundings. When she was just ten years old, she had the good fortune of meeting Annie Besant, the great freedom fighter.
Kamala was married at the age of 14 to Krishnarao, who unfortunately passed away after a couple of months and Kamaladevi became a widow. But she went to Madras and studied at the Queen Mary’s College. At that time, she met Harindranath Chattopadhyay and they got married. Harindranath was a great poet and a free-lance writer. Both of them went to England and Kamaladevi completed her education. They lived happily and had a son Ramakrishna. Slowly, Harindranath began to lead a licentious life and developed affairs with many young women. Kamaladevi tolerated all these bad qualities of her husband for the sake of her son. But things did not improve and ultimately Kamaladevi got a divorce from Harindranath Chattopadhyay in 1933 when she was 30 years of age. But the name Chattopadhyay continued to be with her name.
Kamaladevi thought that her son would give her company and grow according to her wishes. This did not happen because Harindranath used to take away his son for days together for wanderings in different places. This made Kamaladevi unhappy. She was particularly upset when her son divorced his wife and married a woman elder to him by many years.
These unhappy family affairs made her to take more interest in the freedom movement under Gandhiji. She boycotted Simon Commission and was beaten by the lathi-wielding Police. Once somebody was trying to dishonour the Congress Tricolor. As soon as Kamaladevi saw it, she ran towards the flag and protected it and in the process she was injured and blood was oozing from her body. Gandhiji heard of this and was supremely happy and congratulated Kamaladevi for her devotion to the flag.
At her insistence, Gandhiji was compelled to permit Kamaladevi to take part in the Salt Satyagraha. During this time she was attacked by the Police and sustained injuries. Subsequently, she worked with Ram Manohar Lohia and explained his Philosophy to the ordinary people in public lectures. She was arrested during the Quit India Movement and was sent to Vellore Jail. Though no case was filed against her, the British kept her in the jail for almost two years. As her health deteriorated, the government released her from the jail.
On some pretext or the others, she was being arrested frequently and sent to Vellore and Yerawada jails. The living conditions in these jails were inhuman and the jail staff were always cruel and often misbehaved with women prisoners. Kamaladevi used to object for these atrocities and wrote to higher authorities. But no improvement took place.
Kamaladevi felt sad about the pathetic position of women in society, particularly in rural India. She felt that the age-old system is responsible for this state of affairs than the discrimination by men. She thought that this could be rectified by starting women’s organisations to educate them. She started All India Women’s Organisation in Pune in 1927 which was presided over by the Queen of Baroda. Kamaladevi was made the Secretary. When she had a chance to be in Germany, she took part in the International Alliance of Women. In 1944 she had presided over that Session in Bombay. The British government had ordered that she should not enter Bombay. But many influential people including H.V.R. Iyengar requested the British government to postpone this punishment order.
The conference was a great success and it was attended by Sarojini Naidu, Chagla, Minu Masani, Wadia and others. It brought pressure on the government to pass many pro-women bills. She also took up the cause of women labourers who were treated in an inhuman way.
Mangalore was famous for cashew industry and women were employed to remove the cashew from the outer nut. It was harmful to the fingers. Under the leadership of Kamaladevi, women labourers did Satyagraha and the owners of the cashew industries had to yield and they permitted the use of small knives to separate cashew nuts. This brought great relief to the women labourers working in cashew industry at Mangalore.
Even from her childhood, Kamaladevi was interested in music, dance, drama and other fine arts. In the beginning with the help of her husband Harindranath, she had taken part in many dramas which were enacted even in England. She herself wrote many social plays for educating the people against dowry, ill-treatment of women, widows, slavery of children, prostitution etc. Most of these dramas had a free entrance and people used to flock at these shows.
Kamaladevi acted in silent movies also in 1931. She acted in Vasanthasena, Tansen, Shankar-Parvati etc. Subsequently, she started Indian National Theatre in Bombay. She also arranged a ballet based upon The Discovery of India by Nehru. Nehru saw the ballet and said that this ballet was more interesting than his book.
At the request of K.V. Subbanna, she went to Heggodu and stayed there for some days and saw the practice of drama at Heggodu. She also opened a branch of International National Theatre. All these activities brought Kamaladevi the coveted Magsaysay Award in 1966.
After Independence in 1947, thousands of refugees came to India and Kamaladevi took up their cause and established them in different camps by providing food and shelter. She saw to it that lands were granted to many of these refugees.
Another important contribution of Kamaladevi was the revival of Indian handicrafts. She made popular Pochampalli, Paithani, Patola, Kalamkari sarees by providing necessary guidance. She also helped the sculptors. She was made the first President of Arts and Crafts Council of India. Though Nehru was an admirer of Kamaladevi, Indira Gandhi was not well disposed towards her. Kamaladevi wrote to Nehru, ‘please ask you daughter not to interfere in my work.’ Indira Gandhi took vengeance on her and abolished many art centres. In disgust, Kamaladevi resigned from all the posts. Kamaladevi visited Mysore and saw the Chamarajendra Technical Institute (CTI) and requested Sri Veerappa to rejuvenate Mysore ancient crafts.
Kamaladevi had become a celebrity and the government offered her the positions of Vice-President of the country, Governorship, Central Ministership or an Ambassadorship. But she did not accept any of these. She was honoured with Padma Vibhushana and Hon. D. Litt from Banaras Hindu University. By her overwork without proper rest, she fell sick and was hospitalised in Bombay and passed away on 29th October 1988. Thus ended an illustrious and bright career of a self-made woman. But she remains in the hearts of artists, craftsmen and in the memory of the great institutions she built which are still working. A great woman indeed !
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / May 10th, 2014
