Renuka Ray (1904–1997) was a noted freedom-fighter, social activist and politician of India.
She was a descendant of
Brahmo
Bengali Brahmos are those who adhere to Brahmoism, the philosophy of Brahmo Samaj which was founded by Raja Rammohan Roy. A recent publication describes the disproportionate influence of Brahmos on India's development post-19th Century as unpa ...
reformer,
Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee
Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee (''Nibaron Chôndro Mukharji'') was a Brahmo reformer in India during the 19th century.
In the ''History of the Brahmo Samaj'' Sivanath Sastri wrote,
“The advent of Babu Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee, whose name has been m ...
, and daughter of
Satish Chandra Mukherjee
Satish Chandra Mukherjee (5 June 1865 – 18 April 1948) was a pioneer in establishing a system of national education in India, along with Sri Aurobindo.
The positivist background
Satish Chandra was born at Banipur in Hooghly district of prese ...
, an ICS officer, and
Charulata Mukherjee
Charulata Mukherjee was a noted women's rights activist and social worker from Calcutta, who was associated with Brahmo Samaj and All India Women's Conference. She was noted for her social and women rights activism. She was an active member of AI ...
, a social worker and member of the
All India Women’s Conference.
She was awarded 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 ...
by 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 ...
in 1988.
Early life and education
She came in contact with
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- ...
at an early age of sixteen and was greatly influenced by him. She left college to answer Gandhiji's call for boycotting the British Indian educational system. However, later when her parents persuaded Gandhiji to ask her to go to London for further studies, she joined
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
in 1921.
She was married to Satyendra Nath Ray at an early age.
[
Her maternal grandparents were the most distinguished couple of their times. Maternal grandfather Prof. P K Roy was the first Indian to receive a D Phil from ]Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and a member of the Indian Education Service
The Indian Education Service or Indian Educational Service (IES) formed part of the British Raj between 1896 and 1924, when overseas recruitment ceased. It was an administrative organisation running educational establishments in British India, larg ...
and the first Indian Principal of the prestigious Presidency College, Calcutta. Maternal grandmother Sarala Roy was a well known social worker who worked for the emancipation of women. She was the founder of Gokhale Memorial School and College and the first Indian woman to be a member of the senate, Calcutta University
The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every year, C ...
. Sarala Roy was the daughter of renowned Brahmo reformer Durgamohan Das and sister of Lady Abala Bose and S R Das, the founder of prestigious Doon School and a cousin of Deshbandhu C R Das.
Career
On returning to India, she joined All India Women’s Conference and worked hard to champion women's rights and inheritance rights in parental property. In 1932 she became President of All India Women’s Conference.
She was also its President for the years 1953-54.
In 1943 she was nominated to Central Legislative Assembly
The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Imperial Legislative Council, the legislature of British India. It was created by the Government of India Act 1919, implementing the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. It was also sometime ...
as a representative of women of India. She was also a member of Constituent Assembly of India
The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as ...
in 1946-47.[
She was appointed as Minister of Relief & Rehabilitation, West Bengal in the years 1952-57. She was also ]Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
member for the years 1957-1967 from Malda Lok Sabha constituency. In year 1959 she headed a committee on Social Welfare and Welfare of Backward Classes, which is popularly known as Renuka Ray Committee.
Among her siblings Subroto Mukherjee was the first air chief marshal of Indian Air Force who died in Tokyo and was married to Sharda Mukherjee (née' Pandit) a niece-in-law of Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit ('' née'' Swarup Nehru; 18 August 1900 – 1 December 1990) was an Indian diplomat and politician who was the 6th Governor of Maharashtra from 1962 to 1964 and 8th President of the United Nations General Assembly from 19 ...
and Prashanta Mukherjee who was the chairperson of the Indian Railway Board and was married to Keshab Chandra Sen's granddaughter Violet. Her younger sister Nita Sen's daughter Geeti sen is a noted art historian and editor-inchief of IIC, Quarterly and married to renowned Bollywood film director Muzaffar Ali.
Works
She is author of the book ''My Reminiscences: Social Development During the Gandhian Era and After''.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Renuka
Gandhians
Women Indian independence activists
1904 births
1997 deaths
20th-century Bengalis
Members of the Constituent Assembly of India
Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India
India MPs 1957–1962
India MPs 1962–1967
India MPs 1967–1970
Indian independence activists from Bengal
Alumni of the London School of Economics
Indian activists
Indian feminists
Indian women activists
Indian women's rights activists
Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in public affairs
Members of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
English-language writers from India
Bengali Hindus
Das family of Telirbagh
Lok Sabha members from West Bengal
Women in West Bengal politics
20th-century Indian women politicians
20th-century Indian politicians
People from Malda district
Hindu feminists
Activists from West Bengal
Indian social workers
Indian writers
Bengali writers
20th-century Indian writers
20th-century Indian women writers
Indian autobiographers
Indian historical novelists
Indian novelists
Indian women novelists
20th-century Indian novelists
Indian non-fiction writers
Indian women non-fiction writers
20th-century Indian non-fiction writers
Indian political writers