Google dedicated a doodle to Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay on the 115th birth anniversary of the valiant freedom fighter on Tuesday. Kamaldevi had marked her name in Indian history as a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru and for rejuvenating handicrafts and theatre in India.
The Google doodle celebrates the multiple talents of the social reformer.
Born in Mangalore, on 3 April 1903, she was married off early at the age of 14. Widowed at the age of 16, Kamaladevi went on to pursue her higher education in London. On returning to the country, she joined the Indian National Congress in 1927 and began her journey as a freedom fighter.
Kamaladevi’s journey established her as a powerful woman who went to jail after being arrested by the British officers for selling contraband salt. Later, she became the first woman to run for Legislative office.
Other than bringing a political revolution, she also initiated a cultural revolution with setting up famous cultural institutes such as the National School of Drama, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Central Cottage Industries Emporium, and the Crafts Council of India. The projects gained her the title of “culture queen of India”.
Kamaladevo Chattopadhyay was honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1974, the highest honour that is conferred by India’s National Academy of Drama, Music, and Dance.
The woman fighter and artist passed away at the age of 85 on October 29, 1988.