Vikal Vidrohini Pandita Ramabai

The nineteenth century is considered a century of renaissance in India. The social reform movements that took place during this period, particularly in Maharashtra and Bengal, profoundly impacted the Indian psyche and society. Essentially, this was a kind of Indian reaction to the strengthening of British colonial rule, characterized by a greater desire to claim and celebrate the past and less by rethinking it and finding a path to the future; at times, these movements seemed more like revivals than renaissances. Ramabai emerged as a discomfiting voice in this era, offering a sharp critique of the past from a female perspective amidst the Brahmin- and male-centric social reforms of Maharashtra, confronting the status quo socio-political structures of her time. Naturally, she faced neglect and disdain from the Pune community led by Tilak, a staunch opponent of social reforms. But the significance of Pandita Ramabai, a unique scholar of ancient scriptures, lies in the fact that, almost unaffected by these neglects and insults, she not only intellectually championed womens rights but also chose a field of social service that was considered nearly impossible for a single woman at the time. Her founding of an ashram for widows, her innovative initiatives for their remarriage and self-reliance, and her herculean efforts to mobilize support for Indian women in Europe and America were often obscured by criticism of her decision to convert to Islam. This biography, written by Sujata, not only fills a decades-old void in Hindi folklore but also underscores Ramabais relevance for the present, opening the way for a feminist reading of the Indian Renaissance with the help of a wealth of information and materials gathered through extensive research. Equally useful for both general readers and researchers, this book also provides crucial information about many women of that era who are often left out in modern historiography.