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An epithet of truth
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Jasleen Dhamija’s biography of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay speaks of a passion and commitment that is a rarity in these times
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Photo: Murali Kumar k.
TRUE TRIBUTE Jasleen Dhamija sees the real Kamaladevi
Read this passage from Jasleen Dhamija’s introduction to the biography on one of the most influential figures in the socio-economic-political-cultural realm of pre and post-Independence Indias, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: “Kamaladevi’
s is a story of courage to live in the world, to participate in it fully – to take up every challenge and meet it boldly. Yet she paid a price for it; loneliness, frustration when she saw many of the institutions she built crumbling. …Till the very end Kamaladevi was writing petitions, listening to the woes of those who had no one to turn to. …She helped a number of battered women, abandoned wives and widows without questioning, without sermonizing.”
The introduction sets the tone of the entire book: a resolute tenor that marked the life and journey of Kamaladevi itself – steadfast and committed. Biographer Jasleen Dhamija, in this at once engaging and moving work, is equally committed to her cause of documenting the life of an iconic personality, with whom she was closely associated for several decades. Jasleen never fumbles, doesn’t employ masks, but presents the leader and the individual with all her complexities.
Ask Jasleen, who is an internationally renowned expert in the field of living cultural traditions and history of textiles and costumes, about her objectivity despite her closeness and she says: “For sometime in the Seventies I decided to take a break from her. Those years gave me the time and space to examine her closely. That’s probably what has helped me be objective.”
It was in 1954 that Jasleen met Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya. With a strong influence of the Left ideology during her college days, Jasleen was determined to do something for the people. When she met Kamaladevi it seemed like her mission was accomplished. Jasleen began to work with her. “I was a young, strapping Punjabi girl with tremendous energy who could keep pace with this woman of amazing will. We went from village to village and after tirelessly working the whole day, I would sit up in the night and make notes. Others would fall sick with all the travelling and work, but I somehow managed energetically.” Jasleen was greatly influenced by Kamaladevi’s sincerity of purpose. She had an extremely difficult personal life, but never let that deter her or influence her work.
“I learnt a lot from her. My mother gave birth to me, but it was Kamaladevi who made me what I am. She was so loving and generous… I don’t think there’s another person like her.”
Kamaladevi was extremely determined; she would never hesitate to speak the truth. When her earlier biographer Kamala Ratnam asked her what about her husband Harindranath Chattopadhyay attracted her to him, she had said: “I was not really attracted by him nor was I in love,” it was his personality which enthralled her. If she handled private truths with such remarkable honesty, her public integrity was no less. When Gandhiji excluded women from participating in the Civil Disobedience movement, Kamaladevi challenged him and made him change his decision. She resigned from the secretary’s post of the Women’s Conference and plunged into the Movement, devoting herself to organise the women’s wing of the Seva Dal.
Jasleen recalls Kamaladevi’s persistence with her views. “She was very fond of me and was also very possessive. She wanted me to spend 48 hours of the 24 hours in a day with her. If ever I wanted to have a little time for myself the only choice was to disappear. There were no Saturdays and Sundays, and I never had a life of my own. She expected everyone to agree with her. But I would stick to my guns and argue. Of course, she would eventually respect what I say.” She demanded complete involvement but that didn’t take away her humaneness and love.
“My first marriage was a disaster. I left my husband, I had no money, and nowhere to go. My family had abandoned me. Without telling anyone, I would just stay on at our office. Luckily for me, it was winter and I didn’t need to have a bath. The third day Kamaladevi got to know. Within a day, she found a place for me and took care of all my needs, without asking me for an explanation,” remembers Jasleen.
Kamaladevi, even as she represented a larger cause, touched lives individually. She put her personal needs on the backburner and even with her meagre resources never shied away from giving. As Jasleen says in her fitting tribute to the woman who shaped her life, “She was far ahead of her times. Today, she lives on in the work she began. Her work for women’s rights was responsible not only for legal support, but the creation of an atmosphere where women could participate in all aspects of political, economic and social life as equal partners in building the nation.”
(The book is published by National Book Trust, India, Rs. 50 )
DEEPA GANESH
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