Unsung Heroes Detail

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (1903-1988) was the first woman to run for a legislative seat in India and interestingly, she was also the first Indian woman to be arrested by the British regime. She played a very vital role as a social reformer and brought back handicrafts, theatres and handlooms to help in uplifting the socio-economic standard of the Indian women.

Kamaladevi was married off at the age of 14 and widowed two years later. Unperturbed by these life events, she joined Queen Mary’s College in Madras (now Chennai) for higher studies. Though widow remarriage was quite a rare phenomenon during those days, Kamaladevi rebelled against societal constraints and married Sarojini Naidu’s brother Harindranath Chattopadhyay.

Kamaladevi played a prominent role in political reforms and India’s freedom struggle. She was the first woman to contest the Madras provincial elections. She joined Indian National Congress in 1927 and was elected to the All-India Congress Committee within a year. During the Salt March to Dandi, she convinced Gandhi to give women equal opportunity to be in the forefront of the march. Later, she joined Seva Dal and trained women activists.