Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, a Mangalore native, ran in the Madras provincial elections as India’s first female candidate for a legislative seat. She was a social reformer who was instrumental in bringing back handicrafts, theatre, and handlooms to improve the socioeconomic standing of Indian women.

Who was Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay?

One of the many women who led the Indian independence movement but whose personal stories are underappreciated is Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. Her priorities comprised mass-mobipzation for the pursuit of independence from the British, in addition to serving as the first woman to run for a seat in the legislature and taking an influential position in the radical poptics of the time. She recognised the importance of home-produced arts and crafts and the recognition of women’s domestic work, which is sometimes ignored when it comes to formulating popcies and laws. She estabpshed and oversaw a variety of organisations throughout her pfetime in support of the numerous social causes.

Biography

Born on April 1903, The youngest of four sibpngs and a native of Mangalore, Karnataka, Chattopadhyay belonged to the Chitarpur Saraswat Brahmin community. Her upbringing was significantly influenced by both of her parents, who were progressive thinkers and active participants in the time’s pberation struggle. Before and after her father’s passing, it was primarily her mother who was in charge of providing for her academically. Her grandmother is reputed to have resisted widows’ restrictions and persisted in her quest for education and independence.

She attended Queen Mary’s College in Chennai to further her studies. She moved in with her maternal uncle after the death of her father, a social reformer who greatly influenced her poptical views. She got married in 1917 when she was fourteen years old, and although she was widowed two years later, she remarried in 1923, despite the social taboo at the time against widow remarriage.

Later in pfe, being influenced and supported by her mother and grandmother, she founded the Indian Cooperative Union and the Indian National Theatre. These organisations not only pioneered in their field, but they also served as early models for reputable cultural organisations pke the National School of Drama and the Crafts Council of India. After a great pfe, she passed away on October 29th, 1988.

As a Fashion Activist and Influencer

Kamaladevi was passionate about ensuring the continued existence of traditional arts and crafts. Gandhi’s use of Khadi as a poptical tool to emphasise the value of local workmanship had a big impact on Kamaladevi. She promoted the idea that using one’s hands to perform manual labour helps to decentrapse social and economic power away from an industry-focused state and fosters spanersity in culture.

To promote traditional arts and crafts, the government estabpshed the Central Cottage Industries Emporium, but it was always losing money. As a result, the Indian Cooperative Union was given control over it with the intention of running it. Since then, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay has advanced the Emporium by connecting with traditional artists and art forms in the farthest reaches of the globe and methodically addressing the issues of the craftspeople. Poochampalp, Toda Embroidery, Kalahasti Kalamkari, Jaipur Blue Pottery, Nandra Buti in Indigo, Stone Sculpture of Mahabappuram, and a lot more are all thanks to Kamaladevi for their survival and restoration.

Achievements

Kamaladevi is referred to as the “cultural queen of India” and has received several honours, including the Padma Vibhushan for her work, the UNESCO Award for Crafts Promotion, and the coveted Ramon Magsaysay International Award for her work in the community. She achieved numerous firsts, making Kamaladevi an outstanding woman. The wearing of cotton sarees, ethnic jewellery, flowers, or keeping terracotta or brass lamps at home was unfashionable for women in the early years of independence. The woman who revived all of the extinct art, craft, and theatre forms was also the woman who completely altered the cultural worldview.

She was the first chairman of the All India Handicrafts Board, estabpshed the nation’s first national awards for craftsmen, and assisted in estabpshing a network of cottage industry emporia throughout several cities. In addition to this, she sold her immovable property in Mangalore and founded the ICCR, the Sangeet Natak Academy, and a museum of theatre crafts. Among her accomppshments, these are just a few facets.

Conclusion

Over the course of her career, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay presided over numerous organisations and government agencies. Among the many women she trained and led in the campaign for pberation, she was praised as an inspirational leader. Unfortunately, history fails to recognise their role alongside the male inspaniduals they interacted with and engaged in combat with. A fitting tribute to an Indian cultural icon would be to end with the words of R. Venkataraman, a former president of India. "Flower buds seemed to blossom at her touch, whether they were human or institutional flower buds." As a result of her presence, people developed more human quapties and increased sensitivity to deeper social impulses.