Feminism in India - Notable Indian Feminists

Notable Indian Feminists

  • Lalithambika Antharjanam – author and social reformer whose work reflected women's roles in society.
  • Barnita Bagchi – scholar and sociologist with a focus on women's education.
  • Jasodhara Bagchi – founder of the School of Women's Studies at Jadavpur University.
  • Rita Banerji - Feminist author and founder of The 50 Million Missing Campaign, an online, global lobby working to raise awareness about the female gendercide (femicide) in India.
  • Sarala Devi Chaudhurani – early feminist and founder of the Bharat Stree Mahamandal, one of the first women's organizations in India.
  • Saroj Nalini Dutt – early social reformer who pioneered the formation of educational Women's Institutes in Bengal.
  • Mira Datta Gupta – activist for women's issues and one of the founding members of the All India Women's Conference.
  • Padma Gole – poet whose writings faithfully depicted the domestic lives of Indian middle-class women.
  • Devaki Jain – founder of the Institute of Social Studies Trust and scholar in the field of feminist economics.
  • Brinda Karat – first woman member of the CPI(M) Politburo and former Vice President of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA).
  • Vina Mazumdar – secretary of the first Committee on the Status of Women in India and founding Director of Centre for Women's Development Studies (CWDS).
  • Amrita Pritam – first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for literature.
  • Kamini Roy – poet, suffragette, and first woman honors graduate in India.
  • Manikuntala Sen – politician in the Communist Party of India whose memoir described her experiences as a woman activist.
  • Tarabai Shinde – activist whose work Stri Purush Tulana is considered the first modern Indian feminist text.
  • Vandana Shiva – environmentalist and prominent leader of the Ecofeminist movement.

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