Information about pandita ramabai

Let’s admit, Pandita Ramabai is no more a household name as she once was in Bengal, Maharashtra, England, or even in the U.S. during the last quarter of the 19th century. Researchers and scholars acknowledge her constant struggle for women’s education, empowerment and emancipation in their writings. They also talk about her conversion from Hinduism to Christianity in academic circles. And sometimes, there is a mention of the arduous journey she undertook in her life, beginning with the Vedantic teachings by her progressive father (who believed in women’s education) and ending with her translation of the Bible to Marathi. But as we celebrate Ramabai’s birth anniversary today, I recall an actual journey she undertook in the U.S., from March 1886 to November 1888. The pivotal travelogue that Ramabai penned after that journey can be suitably and strongly pitted against many Eurocentric women’s travelogues from that era. Although the title in Marathi is United States chi Loksthiti ani Prawaswrutt , the soul of the book is not as arid. It is not mere factual reporting on the American people or the country. When, almost a hundred years after its publication in Marathi, Meera Kosambi’s very fluent English translation was published in 2003, researchers began to dig deep and found many nuances in Ramabai’s work. Ramabai was a well-known personality by the time she decided to travel in the U.S., primarily to generate funds for her projects in India focusing on empowerment of widows. ...

Ramabai, Pandita (1858–1922) Indian scholar and reformer who drew international attention to the plight of Hindu widows and whose school offered shelter and education to thousands of these young women. Name variations: Ramabai Medhavi; Saraswati or Sarasvati. Born Ramabai Dongre on April 23, 1858, in Mysore State, India; died at her school for Hindu widows, the Mukti Sadan, in Kedgaon, Bombay Presidency, India, on April 5, 1922; daughter of Anant Sastri Dongre and Lakshmibai (both Sanskrit scholars); educated by parents in Sanskrit and Hindu sacred texts; attended Cheltenham Ladies College in England, 1884–86; married Bipin Beharidas Medhavi (a lawyer), in 1880 (died 1882); children: Manoramabai (b. 1881). When six months old, family adopted a peripatetic lifestyle, traveling to Hindu holy places and earning money by reciting sacred Sanskrit texts; after deaths of father, mother and sister, Ramabai and her brother continued their travels, arriving in Calcutta (1878), where her remarkable learning brought fame and entrée to educated Calcutta society; brother died and Ramabai married one of his friends, a low-caste but educated lawyer (1880); widowed (1882) and, with young daughter, moved to Poona; founded Arya Mahila Samaj (Indian Ladies' Organization), a reform organization working for the improvement of women's condition; traveled to England (1883); baptized a Christian (September 29, 1883); attended Cheltenham Ladies College (1884–86); lectured and studied in the U.S. (1...

Pandita Ramabai’s Powerful Story: in her own words The story of the Pandita Ramabai is powerful as one woman saw needs around her, addressed them, and influenced and impacted the nation of India for 132 years and counting! You have not stumbled on this story by chance. It is not fate. It is the power of Truth that brings you here and will go with you to transform your life as Pandita Ramabai transformed so many lives in her day. But depending altogether on our Father God, we have nothing to fear, nothing lose, and nothing to regret. The Lord is our Inexhaustible Treasure! – Pandita Ramabai Pandita Ramabai was: an unusual saint-like self-sacrificing “mother” to several thousand unfortunate, ill-treated child widows and destitute orphans. She started schools and the well-known Mission called the Pandita RAMABAI Mukti Mission. With motherly love, she cared for a family that grew to 2000 girls, many of whom had experienced the horrors of famine. This is her story – in her own words! Her story begins with Founder of the Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission

Birth of Pandita Ramabai - [April 23, 1858] This Day in History 23 April 1858 Birth of Pandita Ramabai What happened? On 23 April 1858, social activist and educationist Pandita Ramabai was born at Canara District in present-day Karnataka. Pandita Ramabai Biography In this edition of This Day in History, you can read all about the life and contributions of Pandita Ramabai, social reformer and educationist for the • Pandita Ramabai was born Rama Dongre to a Marathi Brahmin family in 1858. Her father was a Sanskrit scholar and Ramabai learnt Sanskrit from him initially. • Her parents died during the famine of 1877. Ramabai and her brother travelled all over the country and her fame as a scholar reached Calcutta. The University of Calcutta invited her to give a lecture and also awarded her the title of ‘Pandita’ because of her erudition in Sanskrit. • She was also conferred with the title of ‘Saraswati’ owing to her knowledge and interpretations of the various Sanskrit texts. • Renowned reformer Keshub Chandra Sen gave her a copy of the Vedas. • In 1880, Ramabai married Bipin Behari Medhvi, a Bengali lawyer. This was a bold move for that era as it was an inter-caste marriage. It was, therefore, a civil wedding. • Ramabai had a daughter Manorama. Tragedy struck in 1882 when Medhvi died. • After her husband’s death, Ramabai started Arya Mahila Samaj (Arya Women’s Society) at Pune. • The purpose of the Society was to provide education to women and to discourage and fig...

Mountains of Kudremukh, near Pandita Ramabai’s birthplace. Source: Vikas.rumale / CC BY-SA Pandita Ramabai: an unsung pioneer of Bible translation. John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, Cameron Townsend all feature prominently among our Rama Dongre, later known as Pandita Ramabai, was born in India in 1858 into a Marathi-speaking family, belonging to the priestly Brahmin caste. There were no schools for girls but, most unusually, both her parents gave her a thorough education in the Sanskrit language. They were, however, very poor. Wise teacher As a youngster, Ramabai helped bring in money by reciting the Hindu Scriptures in Sanskrit. She wrote in later life: ‘We all read Puranas [Hindu texts] in public places, but did not translate them or explain them in the vernacular. The reading of the sacred literature was in itself believed to be productive of great merit.’ For a Brahmin, begging and menial work were not options for earning a living. During the great famine of 1876–78, both her parents died from starvation. Living with her older brother, she became well known for her extraordinary intellectual abilities and teaching skill. It was at this time that the University of Calcutta gave her the title Pandita, meaning ‘wise teacher’, the first woman to be so honoured. Even so she sensed increasing hopelessness at the place of women in Hinduism. Pandita Ramabai and her daughter, Manorama Bai, in a 1911 publication The worst position In 1880 her brother also died. Alo...

When you think about historic female reformers in India, you’re most likely to conjure an image of Mother Teresa, cradling hungry babies in Calcutta. But this saint isn’t the only woman who blazed trails of change in this historically patriarchal society. Pandita Ramabai Saraswati, politician and founder of the The titles of “Pandita” and “Sarasvati” in her name itself give away how much of a rarity she was. The word “Pandita” is the female form of the Sanskrit word “Pandit”, which means “learned man.” The title was usually bestowed as a high honor on learned Hindu scholars, who were well versed in the high language of Sanskrit. They also served as priests. Meanwhile, Saraswati is the name of the From a young age, Ramabai shunned societal norms. Born in 1858, Ramabai was taught Sanskrit by her father, who was a Sanskrit scholar himself. This was uncommon at a time when From a young age, Ramabai shunned societal norms. In 1880, she married Bipin Behari Medhvi at age 21, which was unusually late for the time. Her husband was from a much lower caste than she was, making it a frowned upon inter-caste marriage. He passed away after just two years, leaving behind Ramabai and their young daughter, Manorama. In those times, widows faced extremely hostile conditions in Indian society. Some of the many rules and expectations included wearing white all the time, living in confinement, and even shaving their hair to remain in lifelong mourning. Many widows were also blamed for the dea...

Let’s admit, Pandita Ramabai is no more a household name as she once was in Bengal, Maharashtra, England, or even in the U.S. during the last quarter of the 19th century. Researchers and scholars acknowledge her constant struggle for women’s education, empowerment and emancipation in their writings. They also talk about her conversion from Hinduism to Christianity in academic circles. And sometimes, there is a mention of the arduous journey she undertook in her life, beginning with the Vedantic teachings by her progressive father (who believed in women’s education) and ending with her translation of the Bible to Marathi. But as we celebrate Ramabai’s birth anniversary today, I recall an actual journey she undertook in the U.S., from March 1886 to November 1888. The pivotal travelogue that Ramabai penned after that journey can be suitably and strongly pitted against many Eurocentric women’s travelogues from that era. Although the title in Marathi is United States chi Loksthiti ani Prawaswrutt , the soul of the book is not as arid. It is not mere factual reporting on the American people or the country. When, almost a hundred years after its publication in Marathi, Meera Kosambi’s very fluent English translation was published in 2003, researchers began to dig deep and found many nuances in Ramabai’s work. Ramabai was a well-known personality by the time she decided to travel in the U.S., primarily to generate funds for her projects in India focusing on empowerment of widows. ...

When you think about historic female reformers in India, you’re most likely to conjure an image of Mother Teresa, cradling hungry babies in Calcutta. But this saint isn’t the only woman who blazed trails of change in this historically patriarchal society. Pandita Ramabai Saraswati, politician and founder of the The titles of “Pandita” and “Sarasvati” in her name itself give away how much of a rarity she was. The word “Pandita” is the female form of the Sanskrit word “Pandit”, which means “learned man.” The title was usually bestowed as a high honor on learned Hindu scholars, who were well versed in the high language of Sanskrit. They also served as priests. Meanwhile, Saraswati is the name of the From a young age, Ramabai shunned societal norms. Born in 1858, Ramabai was taught Sanskrit by her father, who was a Sanskrit scholar himself. This was uncommon at a time when From a young age, Ramabai shunned societal norms. In 1880, she married Bipin Behari Medhvi at age 21, which was unusually late for the time. Her husband was from a much lower caste than she was, making it a frowned upon inter-caste marriage. He passed away after just two years, leaving behind Ramabai and their young daughter, Manorama. In those times, widows faced extremely hostile conditions in Indian society. Some of the many rules and expectations included wearing white all the time, living in confinement, and even shaving their hair to remain in lifelong mourning. Many widows were also blamed for the dea...

Pandita Ramabai’s Powerful Story: in her own words The story of the Pandita Ramabai is powerful as one woman saw needs around her, addressed them, and influenced and impacted the nation of India for 132 years and counting! You have not stumbled on this story by chance. It is not fate. It is the power of Truth that brings you here and will go with you to transform your life as Pandita Ramabai transformed so many lives in her day. But depending altogether on our Father God, we have nothing to fear, nothing lose, and nothing to regret. The Lord is our Inexhaustible Treasure! – Pandita Ramabai Pandita Ramabai was: an unusual saint-like self-sacrificing “mother” to several thousand unfortunate, ill-treated child widows and destitute orphans. She started schools and the well-known Mission called the Pandita RAMABAI Mukti Mission. With motherly love, she cared for a family that grew to 2000 girls, many of whom had experienced the horrors of famine. This is her story – in her own words! Her story begins with Founder of the Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission

Ramabai, Pandita (1858–1922) Indian scholar and reformer who drew international attention to the plight of Hindu widows and whose school offered shelter and education to thousands of these young women. Name variations: Ramabai Medhavi; Saraswati or Sarasvati. Born Ramabai Dongre on April 23, 1858, in Mysore State, India; died at her school for Hindu widows, the Mukti Sadan, in Kedgaon, Bombay Presidency, India, on April 5, 1922; daughter of Anant Sastri Dongre and Lakshmibai (both Sanskrit scholars); educated by parents in Sanskrit and Hindu sacred texts; attended Cheltenham Ladies College in England, 1884–86; married Bipin Beharidas Medhavi (a lawyer), in 1880 (died 1882); children: Manoramabai (b. 1881). When six months old, family adopted a peripatetic lifestyle, traveling to Hindu holy places and earning money by reciting sacred Sanskrit texts; after deaths of father, mother and sister, Ramabai and her brother continued their travels, arriving in Calcutta (1878), where her remarkable learning brought fame and entrée to educated Calcutta society; brother died and Ramabai married one of his friends, a low-caste but educated lawyer (1880); widowed (1882) and, with young daughter, moved to Poona; founded Arya Mahila Samaj (Indian Ladies' Organization), a reform organization working for the improvement of women's condition; traveled to England (1883); baptized a Christian (September 29, 1883); attended Cheltenham Ladies College (1884–86); lectured and studied in the U.S. (1...