Dadi Leela (born Leelavati Harchandani; 20 December 1916 14 September 2017; sometimes spelled Dadi Leelan) was a Pakistani educationist, music teacher, philanthropist, and a former member of Sindh provincial assembly known for her advocacy of

women's education Female education is a catch-all term of a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...

. She also contributed to

Sindhi culture The Culture of Sindhi ( sd, سنڌ جي ثقافت) has its roots in the Indus Valley civilization. Sindh has been shaped by the largely desert region, the natural resources it had available, and continuous foreign influence. The Indus River, Ind ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. The recipient of

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the P ...

for her contribution to the field of education, she worked as additional director of schools in Hyderabad and deputy and provincial

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

for the Girl Guides till 1975. Later in 1985, she was appointed or selected as a

Member of Provincial Assembly A Member of the Provincial Assembly, or MPA is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction. In Pakistan, the members are elected by the voters in provin ...

(MPA). She was the oldest surviving amil of Sindh.

Early life and education

She was born to Dewan Hotchand Wadhwani on 20 December 1916 in Bombay Presidency, British India (in modern-day

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

). After her mother died, her two younger brothers migrated to India, and she was left alone in Pakistan where she spent her life. In 1954, she married Tulsi Das Harchandani, a civil surgeon, with whom she has a son. She received her early education from a school in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

. She did her

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

from Noor Muhammad High School Hyderabad and graduated in 1940 from DJ Government College (in modern-day Government Kali Mori College) in 1940. She was oldest surviving student of the college.

Career

She started her professional music career in 1940 after being appointed a music teacher at Teachers Training College in Hyderabad. Prior to her retirement in 1975, she continued participating in music and theatre besides education and Sindhi women rights. In 1936, she participated in all India music competition, hosted by DJ Government College Hyderabad. She sang a

bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

, leading her to win the contest with first position. As a vocalist, she also worked at

Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...

. She also served as the member of Minority Affairs for the Ministry of Religious and Minority Affairs and chairperson of Ladies Club, Hyderabad. She was also appointed inspector of girls school, the principal of Mira Girls High School

Hirabad, Hyderabad Hirabad (sometimes spelt Heerabad; ur, ﮨیرا آباد; sd, هيرا آباد; ''“Diamond Town”'') is one of the oldest parts of the city of Hyderabad in Sindh, Pakistan. Before partition in 1947, Hirabad was a thriving township of wealt ...

and member of the Rotary Club. She also served as

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of Senior Citizens Association.

Death

She was suffering from

chronic condition A chronic condition is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three mo ...

and died on 14 September 2017 in Hyderabad, Pakistan. She was cremated at Cremation Ground in

Badin Badin ( Sindhi and ur, ) is the main city and capital of Badin District in Sindh, Pakistan. It lies east of the Indus River. It is the 87th largest city in Pakistan. Badin is often called 'Sugar State' due to its production of sugar. Badin ...

Early life and education

Career

Death

References

Further reading