Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (3 April 1903 – 29 October 1988) was an Indian
social reformer
A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...
and freedom activist. She was most remembered for her contribution to the
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
; for being the driving force behind the renaissance of Indian handicrafts, handlooms, and theatre in independent India; and for upliftment of the socio-economic standard of Indian women by pioneering the co-operation. She is the first lady in India to stand in elections from Madras Constituency although she lost in the elections but she pioneered the path for the women in India.
Several cultural institutions in India today exist because of her vision, including the
National School of Drama
National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an indepe ...
,
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
History
It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...
, Central Cottage Industries Emporium, and the Crafts Council of India. She stressed the significant role which handicrafts and cooperative grassroot movements play in the social and economic upliftment of the Indian people. To this end she withstood great opposition both before and after independence from the power centres.
In 1974, she was awarded the
Sangeet Natak Academy
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
History
It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...
Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by the
Sangeet Natak Academy
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
History
It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...
, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. She was conferred with
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
and
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service" ...
by Government of India in 1955 and 1987 respectively. She is known as Hatkargha Maa for her works in handloom sector.
Biography
Early life
Born in a
Saraswat Brahmin
The Saraswat Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins, who are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Kashmir in North India to Konkan in West India to Kanara (coastal region of Karnataka) and Kerala in South India. The word ''Saraswat'' is de ...
family on 3 April 1903 in
Mangaluru, Karnataka
Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...
, Kamaladevi was the fourth and youngest daughter of her parents. Her father, Ananthayya Dhareshwar, was the
District Collector
A District Collector-cum-District Magistrate (also known as Deputy Commissioner in some states) is an All India Service officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre who is responsible for ''land revenue collection'', ''canal reven ...
of Mangalore, and her mother, Girijabai, from whom she inherited an independent streak, belonged to a land-owning Chitrapur Saraswat brahmana family from
coastal Karnataka
Kanara, also known as Karavali is the historically significant stretch of land situated by the southwestern coast of India, alongside the Arabian Sea in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka.
The region comprises three civil districts, ...
. Kamaladevi's paternal grandmother was well-versed in the ancient Indian epics and
purana
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
s, and Girijabai was also well-educated, although mostly home-tutored. Together, their presence in the household gave Kamaladevi a firm grounding and provided benchmarks to respect for her intellect as well as her voice, something that she came to be known for in the future.
Kamaladevi was an exceptional student and also exhibited qualities of determination and courage from an early age. Her parents befriended many prominent freedom fighters and intellectuals such as
Mahadev Govind Ranade,
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale ( ɡoːpaːl ˈkrɪʂɳə ˈɡoːkʰleː9 May 1866 – 19 February 1915) was an Indian 'moderate' political leader and a social reformer during the Indian independence movement. Gokhale was a senior leader of the India ...
, and women leaders like
Ramabai Ranade
Ramabai Ranade (25 January 1862 – 25 January 1924) was an Indian social worker and one of the first women's rights activists in the early 20th century. At the age of 11, she was married to Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, who was a distinguishe ...
, and
Annie Besant
Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist.
Regarded as a champion of human f ...
. This made young Kamaladevi an early enthusiast of the
swadeshi
The Swadeshi movement was a self-sufficiency movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and contributed to the development of Indian nationalism. Before the BML Government's decision for the partition of Bengal was made public in ...
nationalist movement.
She studied about the ancient
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
drama tradition of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
-
Kutiyattam
Koodiyattam ( ml, കൂടിയാട്ടം; IAST: kūṭiyāṭṭaṁ; ) is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala, India. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of '' Koothu'', an ancient perfo ...
, from its greatest Guru and authority of ''
Abhinaya
Abhinaya (Sanskrit ''abhi-'' 'towards' + ''nii-'' 'leading/guide') is the art of expression in Indian aesthetics. More accurately it means "leading an audience towards" the experience (') of a sentiment ('). The concept, derived from Bharata Mun ...
'', Nātyāchārya
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
Māni Mādhava Chākyār
Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (IAST: ''Māṇi Mādhava Cākyār'')
(15 February 1899 – 14 January 1990) was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar
from Kerala, India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodi ...
by staying at the Guru's home at
Killikkurussimangalam
Killikkurussimangalam (also known as Lakkidi) is a village around 8 km from nearby town Ottappalam in Palakkad district of Kerala, south India. The river Nila (Bharatapuzha) flows through the southern border of Lakkidi.
Etymology
The village go ...
.
Tragedy struck early in life when her elder sister and best friend Saguna, whom she considered a role model, died in her teens, soon after her early marriage, and when she was just seven years old her father died as well. To add to her mother Girijabai's trouble, he died without leaving a will for his vast property, so according to property laws of the times, the entire property went to her stepson (Kamaladevi's half brother), and they only got a monthly allowance. Girijabai defiantly refused the allowance and decided to raise her daughters on her dowry property.
Her rebellious streak was visible even as a child when young Kamaladevi questioned the aristocratic division of her mother's household, and preferred to mingle with her servants and their children wanting to understand their life as well. She was a great freedom fighter.
First marriage and widowhood
She got married in 1917 at the age of 14, but was widowed two years later.
1920s
Marriage to Harindranath
Meanwhile, studying in
Queen Mary's College in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, she came to know
Suhasini Chattopadhyay, a fellow student and the younger sister of
Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu (''née'' Chattopadhyay; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist, feminist and poet. A proponent of civil rights, women's emancipation, and anti-imperialistic ideas, she was an important person in Indi ...
, who later introduced Kamaladevi to their talented brother, Harin, by then a well-known poet-playwright-actor. It was their mutual interest in the arts, which brought them together.
Finally, when she was twenty years old, Kamaladevi married
Harindranath Chattopadhyay
Harindranath Chattopadhyay (2 April 1898 – 23 June 1990) was an Indian English poet, dramatist, actor, musician and a member of the 1st Lok Sabha from Vijayawada constituency. He was the younger brother of Sarojini Naidu ...
, much to the opposition of the orthodox society of the times, which was still heavily against widow marriage. Their only son Rama was born in the following year.
Harin and Kamaladevi stayed together to pursue common dreams, which wouldn't have been possible otherwise, and in spite of many difficulties, they were able to work together, to produce plays and skits.
Later she also acted in a few films, in an era when acting was considered unsuitable for women from respectable families. In her first stint, she acted in two silent films, including the first silent film of
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
film industry, ''
Mricchakatika'' (Vasantsena) (1931), based on the famous play by
Shudraka
Shudraka ( IAST: ) was an Indian playwright, to whom three Sanskrit plays are attributed: '' Mrichchhakatika'' (''The Little Clay Cart''), ''Vinavasavadatta'', and a ''bhana'' (short one-act monologue), ''Padmaprabhritaka''.Bhattacharji, Sukumari ...
, also starring Yenakshi Rama Rao, and directed by pioneering
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
director, Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani. In her second stint in films she acted in a 1943
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
film, ''
Tansen
Tansen ( – 26 April 1589), also referred to and commonly known as Sangeet Samrat () , was a Hindustani classical musician. Born in a Hindu Gaur Brahmin family, he learnt and perfected his art in the northwest region of modern Madhya Pr ...
'', also starring
K. L. Saigal
Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal (11 April 1904 – 18 January 1947), was an Indian singer and actor who is considered the first superstar of the Hindi film industry, which was centred in Kolkata during Saigal's time, but is ...
and Khursheed, followed by ''Shankar Parvati'' (1943), and ''Dhanna Bhagat'' (1945).
Eventually, after many years of marriage, they parted ways amicably. Kamaladevi broke a tradition by filing for divorce.
Move to London
Shortly after their marriage, Harin left for London, on his first trip abroad, and a few months later Kamaladevi joined him, where she joined
Bedford College, University of London
Bedford College was in York Place after 1874
Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a lead ...
, and later she received a diploma in Sociology.
Call of the freedom movement
While still in London, Kamaladevi came to know of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
's
Non-Cooperation Movement
The Non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920, by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance. in 1923, and she promptly returned to India, to join the
Seva Dal
The Seva Dal is the grassroots front organization of the Indian National Congress. The organization has a chapter in all the states of India. The members of the organization are known for wearing the Gandhi topi. It is headed by a Chief Organ ...
, a Gandhian organisation set up to promote social upliftment. Soon she was placed in charge of the women's section of the Dal, where she got involved in recruiting, training and organising girls and women of all ages women across India, to become voluntary workers, 'sevikas'.
In 1926, she met the
suffragette
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
Margaret E. Cousins, the founder of
All India Women's Conference
The All India Women's Conference (AIWC) is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Delhi. It was founded in 1927 by Margaret Cousins in order to improve educational efforts for women and children and has expanded its scope to also tackle ...
(AIWC), who inspired her to run for the
Madras Provincial Legislative Assembly. Thus she became the first woman to run for a legislative seat in India. Though she could campaign for only a few days, she lost by a small margin of 55 votes.
The All-India Women's Conference
In the following year, she became a founding member of the All-India Women's Conference (AIWC) and was its first Organizing Secretary. In the following years, AIWC grew up to become a national organisation of repute, with branches and voluntary programs run throughout the nation, and work steadfastly for legislative reforms. During her tenure, she travelled extensively to many European nations and was inspired to initiate several social reform and community welfare programs, and set up educational institutions, run for the woman, and by women. Another shining example in this series was the formation of
Lady Irwin College
Lady Irwin College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi. Established in 1932, it is a women's college located in New Delhi, India, and offers graduate courses in Food Technology as well as graduate and post-graduate courses in H ...
for Home Sciences, one of its kind college for women of its times, in New Delhi.
1930s
Later she was a part of the seven member lead team, announced by Mahatma Gandhi, in the famous
Salt Satyagraha
The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...
(1930), to prepare Salt at the Bombay beachfront, the only other woman volunteer of the team was Avantikabai Gokhale. Later in a startling move, Kamaladevi went up to a nearby High Court, and asked a magistrate present there whether he would be interested in buying the "''Freedom Salt"'' she had just prepared.
On 26 January 1930 she gained widespread media attention when in a scuffle, she clung to the Indian tricolour to protect it.
1940s
When
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
broke out Kamaladevi was in England, and she immediately began a world tour to represent India's situation to other countries and drum up support for
Independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
after the war.
While on this tour she journeyed across the southern United States. In 1941 she boarded a segregated train. In Louisiana, a conductor tried to remove her from a car reserved for white passengers. Upon realizing that she was not a Black American, the conductor reportedly grew confused about how he should proceed and asked her where she was from. To her first answer, "New York," he pressed to learn "which land
he hailedfrom," to which she reportedly responded: “It makes no difference. I am a colored woman obviously and it is unnecessary for you to disturb me for I have no intention of moving from here.” The conductor left her sitting in that train car.
Post-independence work
Independence of India, brought
Partition
Partition may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive
* Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job
Software
* Partition (database), the division of a ...
in its wake, and she plunged into rehabilitation of the refugees. Her first task was to set up the
Indian Cooperative Union
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
to help with rehabilitation, and through the Union she made plans for a township on cooperative lines. At length Jawahar Lal Nehru reluctantly gave her permission on the condition that she did not ask for state assistance, and so after much struggle, the township of
Faridabad
Faridabad is the most populous city in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of Delhi National Capital Region. It is one of the major satellite cities around Delhi and is located 284 kilometres south of the state capital Chandigarh. The ri ...
was set up, on the outskirts of Delhi, rehabilitating over 50,000 refugees from the
Northwest Frontier. She worked tirelessly in helping the refugees to establish new homes and new professions; for this they were trained in new skills. She also helped set up health facilities in the new town.
Thus began the second phase of her life's work in rehabilitation of people as well as their lost crafts. She was considered singlehandedly responsible for the great revival of Indian handicrafts and handloom, in the post-independence era, and is considered her greatest legacy to modern India.
1950s and beyond
Around this time she became concerned at the possibility that the introduction of Western methods of Factory-based(machinary) mass production in India as part of Nehru's vision for India's development would affect traditional artisans, especially women in the unorganised sectors. She set up a series of crafts museums to hold and archive India's indigenous arts and crafts that served as a storehouse for indigenous know how. This included the Theater Crafts Museum in Delhi.
She equally promoted arts and crafts, and instituted the National Awards for Master Craftsmen, and the culmination of her enterprising spirit led to the setting up of Central Cottage Industries Emporia throughout the nation to cater to the tastes of a nation, rising to its ancient glory.
In 1964 she started the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC),
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, under the aegis of Bharatiya Natya Sangh, affiliated to the UNESCO. Its present director is famous danseuse
Maya Rao
Maya Rao (2 May 1928 – 1 September 2014) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and educator, in Kathak dance. She is known for her pioneering work in Kathak choreography, especially in dance ballets, and is credited for bringing Kath ...
.
Chattopadhyay was a woman ahead of her times, she was instrumental in setting up the
All India Handicrafts Board, she was also its first chairperson. The Crafts Council of India was also the first president of the
World Crafts Council The World Crafts Council AISBL (WCC-AISBL) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was founded in 1964 to promote fellowship, foster economic development through income generating craft related activities, organize exchange programs, wor ...
, Asia Pacific Region.
Chattopadhyay also set up the
National School of Drama
National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an indepe ...
and later headed the
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
History
It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...
, and also a member of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
. Her acclaimed autobiography, ''Inner Recesses and Outer Spaces: Memoir'' was published in 1986. She died on 29 October 1988 in
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, aged 85.
Awards and recognition
The
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
conferred on her the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1955, and the
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service" ...
in 1987, which are among the most revered
civilian award
This list of civil awards and decorations is a partial index to articles about notable civil awards and decorations. It excludes Law enforcement awards and honors and ecclesiastical decorations, which are covered by separate lists. See :Civil aw ...
s of the
Republic of India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
She was awarded the
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealis ...
in 1966 for Community Leadership. In 1974, she was awarded the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also known as Akademi Ratna Sadasyata, is an Indian honour for the performing arts presented by Sangeet Natak Academy. It is "the most prestigious and rare honour" conferred by the Academy and is "restricte ...
, Ratna Sadasya, in recognition of her lifetime's work. The Fellowship is the highest award of
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
History
It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...
, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama.
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
honoured her with an award in 1977 for her contribution towards the promotion of handicrafts.
Shantiniketan
Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his son ...
honoured her with the ''Desikottama'', its highest award.
On 3 April 2018, on what would have been her 115th birthday,
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
honoured her with a Doodle on their homepage.
Books by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
* The Awakening of Indian women, ''Everyman's Press, 1939.''
* Japan-its weakness and strength, ''Padma Publications 1943.''
* Uncle Sam's empire, ''Padma publications Ltd, 1944.''
* In war-torn China, ''Padma Publications, 1944.''
* Towards a National theatre, (All India Women's Conference, Cultural Section. Cultural books), ''Aundh Pub. Trust, 1945.''
* America,: The land of superlatives, ''Phoenix Publications, 1946.''
* At the Cross Roads, ''National Information and Publications, 1947.''
* Socialism and Society, ''Chetana, 1950.''
* Tribalism in India,'' Brill Academic Pub, 1978, ''.
* Handicrafts of India, ''
Indian Council for Cultural Relations
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 Apri ...
& New Age International Pub. Ltd., New Delhi, India, 1995. .''
* Indian Women's Battle for Freedom. ''South Asia Books, 1983. .''
* Indian Carpets and Floor Coverings, ''All India Handicrafts Board, 1974.''
* Indian embroidery, ''Wiley Eastern, 1977.''
* India's Craft Tradition, ''Publications Division, Ministry of I & B, Govt. of India, 2000. .''
* Indian Handicrafts, ''Allied Publishers Pvt. Ltd, Bombay India, 1963.''
* Traditions of Indian Folk Dance.
* The Glory of Indian Handicrafts, ''New Delhi, India: Clarion Books, 1985.''
* Inner Recesses, Outer Spaces: Memoirs, ''1986. .''
Books on Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
* ''
Sakuntala Narasimhan'', Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. ''New Dawn Books, 1999. . ''
* ''S.R. Bakshi'', Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya : Role for Women's Welfare, ''Om, 2000, .''
* ''Reena Nanda'', Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya: A Biography (Modern Indian Greats), ''Oxford University Press, USA, 2002, .''
* ''Jamila Brij Bhushan'', Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya – Portrait of a Rebel, ''Abhinav Pub, 2003. .''
* ''M.V. Narayana Rao (Ed.),'' Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: A True Karmayogi. ''The Crafts Council of Karnataka: Bangalore. 2003''
* ''Malvika Singh'', The Iconic Women of Modern India – Freeing the Spirit. ''Penguin, 2006, .''
* ''
Jasleen Dhamija
Jasleen Dhamija (born 1933 ) is an Indian textile art historian, crafts expert and former UN worker. Based in Delhi, she is best known for her pioneering research on the handloom and handicraft industry, especially history of textiles and costume ...
'', Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, ''National Book Trust, 2007. ''
*''Indra Gupta '', India's 50 Most Illustrious Women. ''.''
References
Further reading
* ''Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: A Biography'', by Reena Nanda. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2002.
*
Vinay LalA Beautiful Mind: Looking back at the life of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Indian Express, 25 October 2015.
* Devaki Jain
A Singular Woman ''The Caravan'', 1 July 2015.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chattopadhyay, Kamaladevi
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