Durgabai deshmukh awards

G. Durgabai

Early Life

G. Durgabai was born on 15th July 1909, in Rajahmundri, Kakinada. She was involved in the Indian freedom movement from a very young age: at 12, she quit school to protest the imposition of English as the medium of education. At the age of 14, she volunteered at a conference held by the Indian National Congress in Kakinada.

Role in India’s Independence Movement

In May 1930, she participated in the Salt Satyagraha in Madras and was imprisoned in 1930 and 1932. In prison, she studied English and completed her M.A. from Andhra University. She went on to study law from Madras University and practised at the Madras Bar for a few years.

In 1936, she established Andhra Mahila Sabha to coach young Telugu girls in Madras for their Matriculation examination conducted by the Banaras Hindu University. Durgabai founded and edited a Telugu journal called Andhra Mahila.

Contribution to Constitution Making

Durgabai was elected to the Constituent Assembly from the Madras Province. She made several key interventions on issues that include the national language, judicial

Durgabai Deshmukh

Indian freedom fighter, lawyer, and politician

Durgabāi Deshmukh (néeGummididala, 15 July 1909 – 9 May 1981) was an Indian freedom fighter, lawyer, social worker and politician. She was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and of the Planning Commission of India.[1]

A public activist for women's emancipation, she founded the Andhra Mahila Sabha (Andhra Women's Conference) in 1937. She was also the founder chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board. In 1953, she married C.D. Deshmukh, the first Indian governor of the Reserve Bank of India and Finance Minister in India's Central Cabinet from 1950 to 1956.[2]

Early life

Durgabai Gummididala was born on 15 July, 1909 into a Vaidiki Brahmin family from Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, British India.[3][4] Durgabai was married at the age of 8[5][6] Subba Rao. She refused to live with him after her maturation, and her father and brother supported her decision.[5] She later left him to pursue her education.[7]

Durgabai Deshmukh

Durgabai Deshmukh is regareded as  the mother of social work in India. She was born in a middles class family in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. In 1937 she founded Andhra Mahila Sabha in Madras which to-day runs two hospitals, 2 colleges and 3 high schools. As Member of Parliament she worked to set up a social welfare board  in 1953 to carry out programs of educating, training and rehabilitating the needy women, children and the disabled. 

K.L. Kamat/Kamat's Potpourri

Durgabai Deshmukh
Durgabai Desmukh (1909-1981) was a freedom fighter, visionary, administrator, educationist, social reformer and parliamentarian.

Deshmukh was the recipient of a number of awards including Padma Bhushan and the UNESCO award for outstanding work in the field of literacy.

Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 2000

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