New Delhi/Kolkata: October 12: Google today dedicated its doodle to the 155th birth anniversary of Bengali poetess, philanthropist Kamini Roy.
Kamini Roy is the first woman from India who graduated in British India. Born in an elite family, Kamini’s brother was the mayor of Kolkata and her sister was a physician of the Nepal royal family. She was born on 12th October, 1864 in the then district of Bakerganj in Bengal (now part of Bangladesh).
Kamini advocated for women’s rights and their studies, when many ill-practices were present in society. She was interested in mathematics since childhood, but she grew in Sanskrit. She did her BA Honours in 1886 from Bethun College in Kolkata and then started teaching there. In college, she met another student Abla Bose. Abla was interested in women’s education and working for widows. Impressed by this, Kamini Roy also decided to devote her life to women’s rights. Ilbert Bill was also supported by Kamini Roy.
After the death of her husband Kedarnath Roy in 1909, she joined the Bang Mahila Samiti and became fully devoted to women’s issues. Kamini Roy through her poems had created awareness among women. Not only this, she then led a long campaign to give women the right to vote in the erstwhile Bengal. Finally women were given the right to vote in the 1926 general election. She died in 1933. (GNS)
