Google honoured Kamini Roy, the first Indian woman graduate on her 155th birthday today through a doodle for its Indian users. Roy was a Bengali poet, educator and women rights activist.
She moved away from the path set for women during her time, by choosing to go for higher studies after her marriage. She was quoted saying “Why should a woman be confined to home and denied her rightful place in society?” by Google in the opening line of its accompanying write up to the doodle.
Known for her love for mathematics, Roy took to writing at a very early age and later joined Bethune College in 1883. She graduated with honours in Sanskrit in 1886. She joined as a teacher the same year in Bethune College. Roy published Alo O Chhaya, the first of her many poetry books in 1889. She was born in 1864 in an elite family in the Basanda village of present day Barisal district in Bangladesh, earlier known as the Bakergunj district of the then Bengal Presidency of undivided India.
Her brother was a renowned barrister in Calcutta High Court, and her sister was the family physician to the then royal family of Nepal. It is said that while studying in Bethune College, Roy came in touch with Abala Bose, another prominent women rights activist and it is from there that the feminism within her took roots.
Roy went on to become a prominent leader of the Bangiya Nari Samaj, an organisation fighting for women’s rights. It was primarily through her efforts that Bengali women were granted voting rights in 1926 by the Bengal Legislative Council. Roy was also a member of the Female Labour Investigation Commission from 1922 to 1923. She also acted as the president of the Bengali Literary Conference in 1930 and vice-president of the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad in 1932-33. It is said that Sufia Kamal, noted Bangladeshi poet and political activist was encouraged by her to pursue writing.
Roy was awarded the Jagattarini Gold Medal by University of Calcutta for her literary achievements in 1929. Some of her noted works are Mahasweta, Pundorik, Pouraniki, Dwip O Dhup, Jibon Pathey and Nirmalya among others.
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