Annapurna Maharana (3 November 1917 – 31 December 2012) was an

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 ...

pro-independence activist active in 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 ...

. She was also a prominent social and women's rights activist. Maharana was a close ally of Mohandas Gandhi.

Life

Maharana was born in

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

on 3 November 1917, the second child of Rama Devi and Gopabandhu Choudhury. Both of her parents were active in the Indian independence movement from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Maharana began actively campaigning for independence when she was fourteen years old, becoming a supporter of Mohandas Gandhi. In 1934, she joined Gandhi on his "Harijan Pada Yatra" march through Odisha from

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as '' ...

Bhadrak Bhadrak is a city of Odisha state in eastern India. The city is the district headquarters of Bhadrak district. According to legend, the city derives its name from the Goddess Bhadrakali, whose temple is on the banks of the Salandi River. Hi ...

. Maharana was arrested several times by British and

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

, including August 1942 during the Quit India Movement civil disobedience campaign. Following independence, Maharana advocated on behalf of women and children in India. She opened a school in Odisha's

Rayagada district Rayagada district is a district in southern Odisha, a state in India, which became a separate district in October 1992. Its population consists mainly of tribes, primarily the Khonds and the Soras. In addition to Odia, Kui and Sora are s ...

for the children of the area's tribal population. Maharana also became involved with the Bhoodan movement, or Land Gift Movement, started by

Vinoba Bhave Vinayak Narahari, also known as Vinoba Bhave (; 11 September 1895 – 15 November 1982), was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. Often called ''Acharya'' (Sanskrit teacher), he is best known for the Bhoodan Movement. He is con ...

. She further campaigned to integrate the

Dacoits Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word ''daaku''; "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with this meaning and it appears in the ''Glossary of Colloqui ...

active of the Chambal Valley. During the emergency she protested by helping

Ramadevi Choudhury Ramadevi Choudhury( or, ରମାଦେବୀ ଚୌଧୁରୀ) (3 December 1899 – 22 July 1985), also known as Rama Devi, was an Indian freedom fighter and a social reformer. She was called Maa (Mother) by the people of Odisha. The Ramad ...

with their newspaper published by the Gram Sevak Press. The newspaper was banned by the government and was arrested along with Ramadevi Choudhury and other leaders from Orissa like

Nabakrushna Choudhuri Nabakrushna Choudhuri (23 November 1901 – 24 June 1984) was an Indian politician and activist. He served as Chief Minister of the Indian state of Odisha. He was a freedom fighter who participated in the Non-cooperation Movement, the Civil Di ...

Harekrushna Mahatab Harekrushna Mahatab (21 November 1899 – 2 January 1987) was the leader of the Indian National Congress, a notable figure in the Indian independence movement and the Chief Minister of Odisha from 1946 to 1950 and again from 1956 to 1961. He wa ...

, Manmohan Chowdhury, Jaykrushana Mohanty and others.Orissa: the dazzle from within (art, craft and culture of ...by G. K. Ghosh - 1993 - - Page 37 The Central University of Odisha awarded Maharana an Honoris Causa (

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

) in a ceremony held at her Cuttack home on 19 August 2012. Maharana died of lengthy illnesses related to old age at her home in Bakharabad,

Cuttack Cuttack (, or officially Kataka ) in Odia is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of ''Kataka'' which literally ...

, Odisha, at 10:30 p.m. on 31 December 2012, at the age of 96. She was survived by two of her sons. Her late husband, Sarat Maharana, died in 2009. She was cremated with honors at the Khannagar crematorium in Cuttack on 2 January 2013. Governor of Odisha Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare and

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Naveen Patnaik Naveen Patnaik (born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician serving as the current and 14th Chief Minister of Odisha. He is also the president of the Biju Janata Dal, a writer and has authored three books. He is the longest-serving chief min ...

described her death as "irreparable loss" to India and Odisha.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maharana, Annapurna 1917 births 2012 deaths Indian independence activists from Odisha Indian women's rights activists People from Cuttack Women educators from Odisha Indians imprisoned during the Emergency (India) Prisoners and detainees of British India Indian reformers Women Indian independence activists Indian women publishers Indian publishers (people) 20th-century Indian journalists 20th-century Indian women writers Indian women journalists 21st-century Indian women writers 21st-century Indian journalists Indian newspaper journalists Women writers from Odisha Journalists from Odisha Educators from Odisha