Herabai Tata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Herabai Tata
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Herabai (seated) and Mithan Tata, 1919
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| Born | 1879 |
| Died | 1941 (aged 61–62) |
| Other names | Herabai A. Tata, Herabai Ardeshir Tata |
| Occupation | women's rights advocate, suffragist |
| Years active | 1911–1920s |
Herabai Tata (1879–1941) was an important Indian woman who worked hard for women's rights. She was a suffragist, meaning she fought for women to have the right to vote. Her husband supported her education, and she became interested in social causes. She met other strong women who inspired her, like Sophia Duleep Singh and Annie Besant.
Herabai Tata was a key member of the Women's Indian Association. She bravely asked the government to let women vote, even when it was difficult. When the government did not include women's voting rights in new laws, she protested. She even traveled to England with her daughter, Mithan, to speak directly to lawmakers. Her efforts helped Indian provinces get the choice to allow women to vote. She continued to fight for voting rights and laws to protect children throughout her life.
Contents
Her Early Life
Herabai was born in 1879 in Bombay, which was part of the British Raj (British rule in India) at that time. When she was sixteen, she married Ardeshir Bejonji Tata. He worked in a textile mill. Her family belonged to the Parsis community.
On March 2, 1898, Herabai and Ardeshir had a daughter named Mithan in Maharashtra. The family later moved to Phulgaon, near Nagpur. Ardeshir was a progressive person. He believed in women's education and hired tutors to help Herabai learn more. They lived in Ahmedabad for a while before moving back to Bombay in 1913. There, Ardeshir became the manager of a large textile mill.
Fighting for Women's Rights
Starting Her Activism
In 1909, Herabai became interested in Theosophy, a spiritual movement. She started going to meetings in Adyar and Benaras. At a meeting in 1912, she met Annie Besant, who was a leader of the Theosophical Society.
In 1911, while on vacation in Kashmir, Herabai met Sophia Duleep Singh. Sophia was a suffragist from Britain with Indian roots. Sophia's passion for women's voting rights inspired Herabai. After reading materials Sophia sent her, Herabai became very active in the fight for women's right to vote.
Speaking Up for Votes
In 1916, people in India began talking more about India governing itself. The British government sent Edwin Montagu and Lord Chelmsford to India. They wanted to hear opinions on giving Indians more power in their own government.
In 1917, Margaret Cousins started the Women's Indian Association (WIA). This group helped women influence government decisions. Annie Besant and Herabai Tata were founding members. Herabai became the general secretary of the WIA. On December 15, 1917, Sarojini Naidu led a group of 14 important women, including Herabai. They asked Montagu to include women's right to vote in the new laws. Herabai strongly argued that women should be treated as "people" and not stopped from voting like children or foreigners.
Despite their efforts, the new laws, called the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms, did not include women's voting rights in 1918. Suffragists wrote petitions and articles in magazines like Stri Dharma. They urged people to support women's political power as part of the fight against British rule.
Next, the Southborough Franchise Committee was formed to create rules for the new reforms. In April 1919, this committee also said no to women's voting rights. They thought Indian society would be against it. In June, Herabai published an article in The Times of India. She explained that women could already vote in local elections in Bombay. So, letting them vote in bigger elections was not a new idea. In July, women in Bombay held a protest meeting where Herabai spoke.
When the Southborough Committee sent its report to the British Parliament, the Bombay Committee on Women's Suffrage decided to send Herabai and her daughter Mithan to England. They would present their case for women's votes.
Her Time in England
The Bombay Suffrage Committee helped pay for the trip. Herabai's husband, Ardeshir, also gave money to make sure she could go. Herabai wrote to many important people and spoke at events to gain support. She and Mithan created many reports to show why women should have the right to vote.
In September 1919, Herabai presented a paper called Why Should Women Have Votes to the India Office (the British government department for India). While in England, Herabai and Mithan spoke at many public meetings. They traveled to cities like Edinburgh and Manchester to get support from British women. Their pleas were very successful. The India Office received many letters supporting women's voting rights in India.
Herabai and Mithan also spoke to the Joint Select Committee of Parliament a second time in October. They were there for the final reading of the new law in December 1919. This law included a special rule: Indian provinces could choose to give women the right to vote if they wanted to.
Herabai and Mithan decided to stay in England longer. Mithan was accepted for studies at the London School of Economics. Herabai also enrolled there. She took courses in administration, economics, and social science between 1919 and 1922. During this time, Herabai worked hard to build support for women's political rights. She wrote articles for different magazines. In 1920, she attended a big meeting of the International Alliance of Women in Switzerland. In 1923, she was a delegate to another meeting in Rome. She was even suggested for a position on the international board, which was a big step for Indian women.
Back in India
In 1924, Herabai and Mithan returned to India. That year, Herabai organized a public meeting with different women's groups. They gave ideas for a new law about children. They suggested that women should help write the law. They also asked for stronger punishments for forcing girls into bad situations. They wanted women to be recognized as equal parents and for women judges to be on Children's Courts.
In 1925, Herabai joined the National Council of Women in India (NCWI) with her daughter. Later, her husband Ardeshir had an accident and lost his sight. Herabai became his caregiver, which meant she could not be as active in her work as before.
Her Legacy
Herabai Tata passed away in 1941. Her daughter Mithan became more famous, but Herabai was a central figure in the fight for women's right to vote in India. Historian Geraldine Forbes called Herabai the "real soldier" in the campaign for women's voting rights in India.
