Chandraprabha Saikiani
 | This article, Chandraprabha Saikiani, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
| This article, Chandraprabha Saikiani, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
| This article, Chandraprabha Saikiani, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
Comment: Conceivably notable, will need checking. If it is acceptable topic, the article will probably need some rewriting, and might need a check for copypaste DGG ( talk ) 04:33, 17 January 2014 (UTC)
Chandraprabha Saikiani (16 March 1901 - 16 March 1972)(16 March 1901 - 16 March 1972) was an Assamese freedom fighter, activist and social reformer considered to be the pioneer of the feminist movement in Assam. In 1918, at the age of 17, she was the only female delegate at the Asom Chhatra Sanmilan at Tezpur and addressed a large throng against the evil effects of opium and demanded a ban throughout the state. It was the first event where an Assamese woman spoke in front of a large gathering. She set up Asom Pradeshik Mahila Samiti at Dhubri in 1926 and also took proactive role in the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1932 and Non Cooperation Movement of 1942-43. Contesting elections for the Legislative Assembly, she became the first woman to foray in politics in Independent India. Saikiani was also a noted poet and prolific writer. The Government of India honoured her with Padmashree in 1972 shortly after her death.
Early life
She was born as "Chandrapriya Mazumdar" on 16 March 1901 to Ratiram Mazumdar and Gangapriya Mazumdar at Doisingari village of the Kamrup district, Assam [1]. She was the seventh child of her parents and choose the name "Chandraprabha Saikiani" for herself. Accompanied by her sister Rajaniprabha Saikiani (who later on became the first woman doctor of Assam), they waded through waist deep mud to attend a boys school several kilometers away. Their endeavour impressed Nilkanta Barua, a school sub-inspector, and she was awarded a scholarship to the Nagao Mission School. At Nagao Mission School, she protested against the school authorities who did not allow a girl to stay at hostel after rejecting a proposal to convert to Christianity. She finally saw the result of her protest: the authorities admitted induct the girl into the hostel.
Social and political life
She worked in Nagao for a while after completing her education and then becamea headmistress of Tezpur Girls M.E. School. During her stay at Tezpur she associated with luminaries like Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Omeo Kumar Das, Chandra Nath Sarma, Lakhidhar Sarma[2] . In 1918, at Tezpur session of Asom Chhatra Sanmilan, she was the only female delegate and addressed a huge throng on the harmful effects of opium eating and asked for its ban. Affected by the rise of nationalism, she joined the Non-Cooperation movement in 1921l. During the Nagao session of Asom Sahitya Sabha in 1925, under the presidentship of novelist Rajanikanta Bordoloi, shedenounced the segregation of women in sahitya sabha who were made to sit in a separate enclosure hidden from the public eye by a bamboo curtain. Due to her persistent efforts, the Hajo Hayagriva Madhav temple was opened for all regardless of caste and creed.
Having not granted leave to attend Indian National Congress session at Guwahati, she resigned in 1926 and joined a school at Kaljirapara near her home. In that same year, she assisted in the formation of of Assam Pradeshik Mahila Samiti at Dhubri immediately after the Asom Sahitya Sabha held there that year. It was a organisation for women from all sections of society, and advocated issues like women's education, prevention of child marriage and role of handloom and handicrafts in creating self employment for the women from hinterlands. She also took an active role in National Movement and she was jailed in 1930 for the first time and subsequently for her active participation in the 1932 Civil Disobedience Movement and in the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1942-43. She was first woman to have contested for Legislative Assembly elections in the post-Independence era.
Literary activities, awards and recognitions
Chandraprabha Saikiani was a noted poet and a prolific writer. For seven years, she was the editor of Mahila Samiti's journal Abhijatri . She also published a novel titled Pitribhita in 1937. The Government of India honoured her with Padmashree in 1972 shortly after her death. Again in 2002, the Government of India released a commemorative stamp in her honour. The former Girl's Polytechnic Institute in Guwahati has been named after Padmashree Chandraprabha Saikiani. The Government of Assam also has instituted an annual award in her honour for personalities with extraordinary contribution towards betterment of women and the society.
The noted Assamese novelist Nirupama Borgohain wrote Abhijatri in 1999 which depicts a fictionalized account Chandraprabha's life. Later on Prodipto Borgohain translated Abhijatri into english and won Sahitya Akademi Award.[3]
References
- ^ "Chandraprabha Saikiani: The Path-Breaking Lady of Assam", PIB, Government of India
- ^ "Chandraprabha Saikiani: The Legendary Crusader", Assam Times, 16th March 2010
- ^ "Chandraprabha Saikiani", StreeShakti
Chandraprabha Saikiani
Bhaskarjitsarmah (talk) 11:37, 30 March 2013 (UTC)bhaskarjit sarmah