Shobha Rani Dutta was born on 11th September 1906 in Kolkata. She was the daughter of Labanyaprabha Dutta, a prominent Congress leader, and Jatindranath Dutta. Shobha Rani inherited a strong sense of patriotism from her mother, who had instilled it in her since childhood.
After completing her education at Brahma Girls School in Kolkata, Shobha Rani Dutta continued her studies at Prem Mahavidyalaya in Vrindavan, an educational institution founded by revolutionary Raja Mahendra Pratap. It was during this time that she came into contact with two influential figures, Lala Lajpat Rai and Raja Mahendra Pratap, who played a significant role in shaping her path toward India's national freedom movement. In 1930, Shobha Rani's encounter with Hari Kumar Chakraborty served as a turning point in her life, inspiring her to devote herself fully to the cause of her country's independence.
Shobha Rani Dutta, in partnership with her mother, established Ananda Math and became an active member of the Satyagrahi Samiti. Although she supported the non-violent movement openly, she also secretly provided shelter to several revolutionaries who had fled from Chittagong to Calcutta, even raising funds for them. Ananda Gupta and Jiban Ghoshal were among those who sought refuge in the home of Lakshmimoni and Saradamoni Devi, who were followers of Shobha Rani Dutta. Furthermore, Shobha Rani arranged a secret hiding place for Manoranjan Ray, the prime convict in the Dalhousie Bomb Case, at Putiyari. However, Ray was eventually arrested from that location, and when Shobha Rani and Lakshmimoni Devi went to the Behala Thana to visit him, Shobha Rani was detained on suspicion of involvement in the Dalhousie Bomb Attack.
On 8th May 1934, the Governor of Bengal was targeted in a revolutionary attack at the LebongRace Course. In the after, Shobha Rani Dutta offered Ujjwala Majumdar, who was linked to the attack, a secret refuge in her home. Both women were subsequently arrested on 18th May 1934. While Shobha Rani was eventually cleared of any involvement in the Lebong Outrage, she was held in jail as a political prisoner. During her imprisonment, Shobha Rani was subjected to severe torture, which caused her to suffer from mental illness. As a result, she was transferred to the Ranchi Mental Asylum. Upon her release, she was sent back to the Presidency Jail before being detained in Almora. She was eventually released in 1937.
Shobha Rani passed away on 9th November 1950.
Source: Durba Ganguly, DRP, CCRT