Renuka Ray
Renuka Ray (1904–1997) was a noted freedom-fighter, social activist and politician of India.[1]
She was a descendant of Brahmo reformer, Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee, and daughter of Satish Chandra Mukherjee, an ICS officer, and Charulata Mukherjee, a social worker and member of the All India Women’s Conference.[2] She was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1988.[3]
Early life and education
She came in contact with Mahatma Gandhi at an early age of sixteen and was greatly influenced by him. She left college to answer Gandhiji's call for boycotting the British Indian educational system. However, later when her parents persuaded Gandhiji to ask her to go to London for further studies, she joined London School of Economics in 1921.[4] She was married to Satyendra Nath Ray at an early age.[2][5]
Career
On returning to India, she joined All India Women’s Conference and worked hard to champion women's rights and inheritance rights in parental property. In 1932 she became President of All India Women’s Conference. She was also its President for the years 1953-54.[5]
In 1943 she was nominated to Central Legislative Assembly as a representative of women of India. She was also a member of Constituent Assembly of India in 1946-47.[2][5]
She was appointed as Minister of Relief & Rehabilitation, West Bengal in the years 1952-57. She was also Lok Sabha member for the years 1957-1967 from Malda Lok Sabha constituency. In year 1959 she headed a committee on Social Welfare and Welfare of Backward Classes, which is popularly known as Renuka Ray Committee.[6][7]
Works
She is author of the book My Reminiscences: Social Development During the Gandhian Era and After.[4]
References
- ↑ Women parliamentarians in India by CK Jain, Published for Lok Sabha Secretariat by Surjeet Publications, 1993
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Women Role Models: Some Eminent Women of Contemporary India By Gouri Srivastava. 2006. p. 37.
- ↑ "Padma Awards Directory (1954-2009)". Ministry of Home Affairs.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "LIFE LIVED IN AN AGE OF EXTREMES". Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "RENUKA RAY (1904–1997)". Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ↑ Development of scheduled castes and administration by Kamla Shanker Shukla, B. M. Verma, Indian Institute of Public Administration. 1993. p. 29.
- ↑ Social administration: an analytical study of a state. 1982. pp. 47, 52, 53.
| |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||