Ramabai Ranade facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ramabai Ranade
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| Born | 25 January 1862 Devarashtre, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Sangli, Maharashtra, India)
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| Died | 25 January 1924 (aged 62) Seva Sadan, Pune
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| Known for | Women's education and self-reliance |
| Spouse(s) | Mahadev Govind Ranade |
Ramabai Ranade (born January 25, 1862 – died January 25, 1924) was an important Indian social worker. She was one of the first people to fight for women's rights in the early 1900s. When she was just 11 years old, she married Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade. He was a famous Indian scholar and a social reformer who worked to improve society.
After her marriage, Ramabai started learning to read and write. Her husband, Mahadev Govind Ranade, strongly supported and encouraged her. She first learned her native language, Marathi, and then worked hard to learn English. In 1884, Ramabai, her husband, and others helped start one of the country's first high schools for girls. This school, called Huzurpaga, was in Pune.
Inspired by her husband, Ramabai started the 'Hindu Ladies Social Club' in Mumbai. This club helped women learn how to speak in public. After her husband passed away, Ramabai spent the rest of her life helping women. She did this mainly through the 'Seva Sadan Society' in Mumbai and Pune.
She was the founder and president of the Poona "Seva Sadan." This became one of the most successful women's organizations in India, helping thousands of women. Many women joined because Ramabai herself closely looked after the institution.
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Ramabai's Early Life and Background
Ramabai Ranade was born on January 25, 1862. Her birth name was Yamuna Kurlekar. She grew up in a small village called Devrashtre in the Sangli District of Maharashtra. In those days, educating girls was not common, so her father did not send her to school. In 1873, when she was 11, she married Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade. He was a widower, twenty years older than her, and a leader in India's social reform movement.
Her husband worked hard to teach her, even though some women in his family were against it. He helped her become a strong partner in social and educational reforms. With his great support and shared vision, Ramabai spent her whole life helping women become self-reliant and financially independent.
Her husband had a top degree from Bombay University. He was a professor of English and Economics at Elphinstone College in Bombay. He also worked as a translator and a social reformer. He strongly fought against bad practices in society. He was against untouchability and child marriage. He led many movements for social improvement. By his early thirties, he was praised across Maharashtra. His forward-thinking ideas and strong commitment to social change greatly inspired Ramabai. They showed her the way for her future social work.
Ramabai made it her goal to educate herself. She wanted to be an equal partner in her husband's busy life. She faced challenges and opposition from other women in her extended family. Justice Ranade regularly taught young Ramabai. He taught her Marathi writing and reading, History, Geography, Mathematics, and English. He made her read all the newspapers and discuss current events with him. She became his dedicated student and, over time, his secretary and trusted friend. When Pandita Ramabai came to Pune in 1882 after her husband died, the Ranades helped her. Both Ramabai Ranade and Pandita Ramabai took English lessons from a Christian missionary lady at the Ranade home.
Ramabai's Career and Public Work
Ramabai first spoke in public at Nashik High School as the main guest. Justice Ranade wrote her first speech for her. She quickly became very good at public speaking, both in English and Marathi. Her speeches were always simple and touched people's hearts. She started working for Prarthana Samaj in Bombay. She also set up a branch of Arya Mahila Samaj (Arya women's society) in the city.
From 1893 to 1901, Ramabai was very active in her social work. She started the Hindu Ladies Social and Literary Club in Bombay. She also began many classes to teach women languages, general knowledge, tailoring, and handwork.
Social Activism After Her Husband's Death
Ramabai began her public service around 1878. But after Justice Ranade died in 1901, she fully dedicated herself to helping women in India. She lived for 23 more years after her husband's death. These years were full of activities to awaken society, fix problems, and create social groups like Seva Sadan. These groups helped women who were in trouble.
After her husband's death, she left Bombay and moved to Pune. She stayed at their old family house near Phule Market. For one year, she lived a quiet life. Then, she decided to come out of her isolation. Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar and Mr. Bhajekar encouraged her. She then led the first meeting of the Bharat Mahila Parishad (India Women Conference) in Bombay in 1904.
She regularly visited the Central Prison, especially the women's section. She wanted to help the women prisoners feel better about themselves. She also visited boys in reformatory schools. She talked to them and gave them sweets on special days. She often visited patients in local hospitals, giving them fruits, flowers, and books. In 1913, she also went to Gujarat and Kathiawar to help people affected by famine.
Even in her later years, she went to Alandi during the Ashadhi and Kartiki fairs. She went with volunteers from the Seva Sadan. They helped women pilgrims visiting the shrine of Sant Dnyaneshwar. By doing this, she started a new kind of social service for women. In 1920, during the Non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, Ramabai even learned how to use a cotton spinning charkha.
The Seva Sadan Institution
In 1908, two social reformers, B. M. Malbari and Dayaram Gidumal, had an idea. They wanted to create a home for women and train Indian women to be nurses. They asked Ramabai for her advice and help to start a society. This is how Seva Sadan (Bombay) began. In 1909, the Pune Seva Sadan was started. It was officially registered as a society in 1915, under her guidance.
The society grew its existing educational programs and started new ones. It created a Women's Training College and three hostels. One hostel was for medical students, and another was for nurses in training.
By 1924, when Ramabai passed away on her 62nd birthday, the Pune Seva Sadan was training over a thousand women in different areas. Seva Sadan grew so quickly and became so strong mainly because of Ramabai's efforts, guidance, and hard work. This happened even with the common biases of the time.
Her last two important contributions were:
- Organizing efforts to make education for girls compulsory, starting from pre-primary school.
- Organizing the Women's Suffrage Movement in Bombay Presidency in 1921–22. This movement fought for women's right to vote.
Mahatma Gandhi praised her unique position at the end of her life. He said, "The death of Ramabai Ranade is a great national loss. She was the perfect example of what a Hindu widow could be. She was a true friend and helper to her famous husband during his lifetime."
Gandhi also added, "After his death, she chose her husband's reform activities as her life's aim. Justice Ranade was a reformer who cared deeply about improving the lives of Indian women. Ramabai put all her heart and soul into Seva Sadan. She gave all her energy to it. Because of this, Seva Sadan has become an institution unlike any other in India."
In the early days of Seva Sadan, most of the nursing students were widows. Once, during the annual social gathering, there was a prize ceremony. One of the prize winners was a widow. She wore the traditional dress of widows from that time: a simple dark red sari with the pallu (the loose end of the sari) pulled tightly over her clean-shaven head. As the widow walked onto the stage, the students in the audience started making fun of her and shouting. This rude behavior deeply hurt Ramabai.
When she stood on stage at the end of the event to give a short thank-you speech, she was so upset that she strongly scolded the students. She said, "You are college students, but how can you be called educated? How can those be considered educated who not only don't show sympathy to their unfortunate sisters, who are victims of cruel fate and harsh social customs, but instead make fun of them? Each of you probably has an unfortunate widow living in your home, maybe your sister, cousin, aunt, or even your own mother. If you had remembered this, you would not have behaved the way you did."
These words were sharp and powerful, hitting the students like a whip. There was complete silence. It showed how strong and captivating Ramabai's personality was. She worked tirelessly against the practice of child marriage. All these efforts led to the creation of the Seva Sadan Society in Bombay. It became a home for many women in distress. She started the Pune Seva Sadan Society in her own family house. This later grew into a large institution offering many services. These included hostels, training colleges, vocational centers, and selling centers. Ramabai's name became closely linked with Seva Sadan. This was her greatest gift to helping middle-class women.
Ramabai also took part in the War Conference and spoke to the Governor on behalf of Indian women. She also fought for the rights of Indian workers in Fiji and Kenya. She even worked for women's right to vote. Everyone admired her, but she humbly called herself a shadow of her husband.
Ramabai's Legacy
- Ramabai's important book is her autobiography, Amachya Ayushyatil Kahi Athavani. It is in Marathi and tells a detailed story of her married life. She also published a collection of Justice Ranade's speeches.
- The Seva Sadan institution continues her work.
