Pragyasundari Devi facts for kids
Pragyasundari Devi (born 1872 – died 1950) was a famous Indian writer. She wrote cookbooks and edited a magazine. Her book Amish O Niramish Ahar was one of the first important cookbooks in the Bengali language.
Contents
Early Life
Pragyasundari Devi was born into the well-known Tagore family. Her father was the scientist Hemendranath Tagore. Her grandfather was the philosopher Debendranath Tagore. Her great-grandfather was the industrialist Dwarkanath Tagore.
She was the niece of Rabindranath Tagore, a famous poet who won the Nobel Prize. Many other family members were also well-known. These included her aunt, the novelist Swarnakumari Devi. Her cousin, Sarala Devi Chaudhurani, was an important Indian feminist.
Her Work
Pragyasundari Devi's first cookbook was published in 1902. It was called Amish O Niramish Ahar. Some people say it was the very first cookbook written in Bengali. In this book, she told home cooks that spending a lot of money does not always mean good food. She encouraged people to use simple, inexpensive vegetables.
She later published another vegetarian cookbook. After that, she wrote two more cookbooks that included some meat dishes. These later books focused on food from Assam and on making pickles and preserves.
Besides writing cookbooks, Pragyasundari Devi also edited a magazine. Starting in 1897, she was the editor of Punya, a magazine for women. This magazine often included her recipes.
Family Life
In 1891, Pragyasundari Devi married Lakshminath Bezbaroa. He was a writer from Assam. He encouraged her to publish her recipes in books.
They had four daughters together. One of their daughters passed away when she was very young. Pragyasundari Devi also had five granddaughters and one grandson. She had eleven great-grandchildren.
One of her granddaughters, Ira Ghosh, wrote about Pragyasundari Devi's life. She also updated her famous cookbook with modern measurements. Another granddaughter, Ritha Devi, became a well-known Odissi dancer.
Pragyasundari Devi passed away in 1950.
See also
In Spanish: Pragyasundari Devi para niños
