Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was the early founder of the All India Women"s Conference (AIWC). She was one of the greatest protagonists of Art in India. She was an eloquent speaker and an orator that could make audiences spell bound. She was very much interested in popularizing traditional Indian handicrafts and was popularly known as the "Hastkala Maa" meaning Mother of Handicrafts. A fearless fighter for social equality, she was the first Indian woman to stand for open political election in the mid-twenties. She was the" supreme romantic heroine" of Gandhiji`s salt Satyagraha movement, and was the first woman in Bombay Presidency to be arrested for breaking the salt laws.

Early life of Kamaladevi Chattopadhay tells the tale of Indian freedom struggle. She was born on 3rd April in the year 1903, and was the fourth and youngest daughter of a Saraswat Brahmin couple in Mangalore. Ananthaya Dhareshwar, her father, was the District Collector of Mangalore, and her mother Girijabai, from whom she inherited an independent streak, belonged to an upper-class family from Indian state of Karnataka.

Kamaladevi`s grandmother was a writer and scholar herself. She wrote ancient Indian texts, and her mother was also pretty well educated which was mostly received from home. Jointly their presence in the house gave Kamaladevi a strong grounding and also provided yardstick to respect for her intellect as well as her voice, sometimes that she was came to be called for in the coming years, when she stood as voice of downtrodden s well as unheard.

As a student she was an exceptional talent and also showed qualities of courage and determination from a very early age. While she was growing up, her parents befriended many well-known freedom fighters and intellectual brains like that of Mahadev Govind Ranade, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and women leaders like Ramabai Ranade, and Annie Besant, this made young Kamaladevi an early enthusiast of the swadeshi nationalist movement. She studied at great length about the ancient tradition of Sanskrit theatre in the Indian state of Kerala known as Kutiyattam, from its greatest Guru and authority of Abhinaya, Natyacharya Padma Shri Mani Madhava Chakyar by staying at Guru`s home at Killikkurussimangalam.

At a very early part of life tragedy struck her when Saguna, her elder sister, whom she considered as a role model died in her teens, soon after her early marriage and when she was just seven years old her father expired as well. To add to the trouble of her mother - Girijabai, he died without leaving a will for his vast property. Hence according to property laws of the times, the entire property went to her stepson, and they only got a monthly allowance. Her mother rather defiantly refused the allowance and decided to raise her daughter on her dowry property. Rebellious streak of her was visible even as a child, when young Kamaladevi questioned the patrician division of her mother`s household, and favoured to mix with her servants and their children wanting to understand their life as well.

Social work of Kamaladevi Chattopadhay includes serious works for the society. It was after India gained independence in the year 1947, that she started to work towards society. It was during this time that she started to grow concerned at the possibility that introduction of Western methods of factory based mass production in India as part of Nehru`s vision for development of India would affect traditional artisans, especially women in the unorganised sectors.

In order to find employment for people of the unorganized sector he established a series of craft museums to hold and achieve India`s crafts and indigenous arts that served as a storehouse for indigenous known how. This also included the Theatre Crafts Museum in Delhi.

Likewise, with equal enthusiasm and excitement she promoted the arts and crafts and also instituted the National Awards for Master Craftsmen and a culmination of her enterprising spirit lead to setting up of Central Cottage Industries Emporia, throughout the nation to cater to the tastes of a nation, rising to its ancient glory.

In the year 1964 Kamaladevi Chattopadhay also started the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC), Bengaluru, under the aegis of Bharatiya Natya Sangh, affiliated to the UNESCO. Its present director is famous danseuse Smt. Maya Rao.

Kamaladevi was a woman ahead of her times, she was instrumental in setting up the All India Handicrafts Board, she was also it`s the first chairperson, The Crafts Council of India was also the first president of the World Crafts Council, Asia Pacific Region.

She also set up the National School of Drama and later headed the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and also a member of UNESCO. Her acclaimed autobiography, Inner Recesses and Outer Spaces: Memoir was published in 1986.

Political life of Kamaladevi Chattopadhay started with the active participation in the Indian freedom struggle. While she was still in London pursuing her studies, Kamaladevi came to know the frenzy of Non-Cooperation Movement in 1923 that was led by Mahatma Gandhi. And she quickly made arrangements to return to India to join the Seva Dal - Gandhian organization established to encourage social upliftment. Very soon she was also placed in charge of the women`s section of the Dal where she got actively involved in training, recruiting and organizing girls and women of all ages from across India to become voluntary workers known as "Sevikas".

In the year 1926, she came across the person who was the founder of all India Women`s Conference (AIWC) and it also inspired her to run for the Madras Provincial Legislative Assembly. Thus she also became the first woman to also run for the Legislative seat in India. Inspite of the fact that she could campaign for only 2 days but the margin by which she lost was rather low - only a mere 200 votes.

The All-India Women`s Conference
The very next year she set up the All-India Women`s Conference (AIWC) and became its first Organizing Secretary, and AIWC grew up to become a national organization of repute, with branches and voluntary programs run throughout the nation, and work steadfastly for legislative reforms.

During her tenure she also travelled greatly to many European countries and also inspired to initiate several social reforms and community welfare program, and set up educational institutions, run for women, by women. Later during 1930s she was a part of Dandi March. On 26 January 1930 she captured the imagination of the entire nation when in a scuffle; she clung to the Indian tricolour to protect it. She was the first woman to be arrested during a freedom struggle. In the 1930 she was taken to prison by the British government for entering the Bombay Stock Exchange to sell packets of contraband salt, and spent almost a year in prison. In 1936, she became president of the Congress Socialist Party, working alongside Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Minocher Rustom Masani

For Kamaladevi Chattopadhay socialism was one of the main ideas and if needed she even opposed her own colleagues when they ignored or infringed women`s rights. For instance, when Mahatma Gandhi opposed the inclusion of women in the Dandi March (claiming that Englishmen would not hurt women, just as Hindus would not harm cows), Kamaladevi spoke out against this stand.

During the World War II she was in England and immediately began a world tour to explain the position of India to the world.

Post-Independence work by Kamaladevi Chattopadhay
With the independence of India came the issue of Partition and she immediately plunged into rehabilitation of the refugees, where she worked tirelessly to establish new homes, and new professions, for this they were trained in new skills, she also helped setting up health facilities in the new town.

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was also a notable author. Some of the books written by her are as follows:
•The Awakening of Indian women, Everyman`s Press, 1939
•Japan-its weakness and strength, Padma Publications 1943
•Uncle Sam`s empire, Padma publications Ltd, 1944
•In war-torn China, Padma Publications, 1944
•Towards a National theatre, (All India Women`s Conference, Cultural Section), Aundh Pub. Trust, 1945
•America: The land of superlatives, Phoenix Publications, 1946
•At the Cross Roads, National Information and Publications, 1947
•Socialism and Society, Chetana, 1950
•Tribalism in India, Brill Academic Pub, 1978
•Handicrafts of India, Indian Council for Cultural Relations & New Age International Pub. Ltd., New Delhi, India, 1995
•Indian Women`s Battle for Freedom, South Asia Books, 1983
•Indian Carpets and Floor Coverings, All India Handicrafts Board, 1974.
•Indian embroidery, Wiley Eastern, 1977
•India`s Craft Tradition, Publications Division, Ministry of I & B, Govt. of India, 2000
•Indian Handicrafts Allied Publishers Pvt. Ltd, Bombay India, 1963.
•Traditions of Indian Folk Dance.
•The Glory of Indian Handicrafts, New Delhi, India: Clarion Books, 1985.
•Inner Recesses, Outer Spaces: Memoirs, 1986.

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was the recipient of many national and international awards, including the prestigious Magsaysay Award, Vishwa Bharati"s Deshikotamma conferred on her by Indira Gandhi in 1970, and the Padma Vibhushan Award.

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay alone had the insight and the will to champion a neglected cause. This great saga of patriotism and mother of handicrafts breathed her last in 1990.