Mona Hensman

2021-02-27T21:43:00Z

2607:9880:2148:11F:501B:406:2ABB:3925: /* Personal life */

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox Indian politician
| name = Mona Hensman
| birth_name = Mona Mitter
| caption =
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date |1899|8|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Berhampur|Berhampore]], [[Ganjam District]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British India]] (Now in Odisha)
| residence =
| death_date = {{death date and age|1991|12|5|1899|8|25|df=yes}}
| death_place = Chennai
| office = [[Member of Parliament]], [[Rajya Sabha]]
| constituency = [[Madras State]]
| term_start = 1952
| term_end = 1956
| predecessor =
| successor =
| office1 = Member of the [[Madras Legislative Council]]
| constituency1 =
| term1 = 1937-1952
| predecessor1 =
| successor1 =
| office2 =
| constituency2 =
| term_start2 =
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| spouse = Dr. Henry S. Hensman
| children = Rajkumar Hensman and Benodini S Banerjei, Dhiren Banerjei only grand child
| website =
| footnotes =
| date = |
| year = |
| source =
}}

'''Mona Hensman''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (25 August 1899 – 5 December 1991), born '''Mona Mitter''', was an Indian educator, feminist, and politician. She was a [[Member of Parliament]], representing [[Madras State]] in the [[Rajya Sabha]], the [[upper house]] of [[Parliament of India|India's Parliament]], as a member of the [[Indian National Congress]]. She was the first Women whip in Indian Parliament. She was the Principal of [[Ethiraj College for Women]] from 1953 to 1960.

== Early life and education ==
Mona Mitter was born in [[Berhampore]] in 1899, the daughter of R. K. Mitter and Benodini Bose Mitter. Her father was a surgeon and a lieutenant colonel in the military.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=4 March 1893|title=Naval and Military Medical Services|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cfJAAQAAMAAJ&lpg=PA492&ots=4giwdvyAgZ&dq=Lt.%20Col.%20R.%20K.%20Mitter&pg=PA492#v=onepage&q=Lt.%20Col.%20R.%20K.%20Mitter&f=false|journal=British Medical Journal|pages=492}}</ref> In India she attended St. Hilda’s in [[Ooty|Ootacamund]], then she continued her education at [[Bedford Girls' School]] and at [[Westfield College]] in London. She earned a bachelor's degree in language and literature.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Ludwig|first=Frieder|date=2016|title=Mona Hensman: An Indian Woman at the World Missionary Conference in Tambaram (1938)|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jworlchri.6.1.0123|journal=Journal of World Christianity|volume=6|issue=1|pages=123|doi=10.5325/jworlchri.6.1.0123}}</ref>

== Career ==
Hensman spent much of her career in higher education. She taught at [[Kinnaird College for Women University|Kinnaird College]] in [[Lahore]] as a young woman. In 1924, she became a professor of English and French at the Women's Christian College in [[Chennai]]. In 1930, Hensman served on the faculty senate at the [[University of Madras]]. She was the second principal of Ethiraj College for Women from 1953 to 1960, succeeding [[Subur Parthasarathy]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Former Principals|url=http://www.ethirajcollege.edu.in/about-college/former-principals|access-date=29 November 2017|publisher=[[Ethiraj College for Women]]}}</ref> In 1962 she attended the biennial conference of the [[Australian Federation of University Women]], as former president of the Indian Federation of University Women.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=1962-01-11|title=What People are Doing|pages=5|work=Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995)|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105858833|access-date=2020-10-12|via=[[Trove]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1962-01-16|title=Indian Delegate Welcomed|pages=5|work=Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995)|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104919927|access-date=2020-10-12|via=[[Trove]]}}</ref>

Hensman took particular interest in supporting Christian women. In 1929 she was appointed the first Indian president of the [[YWCA]] in Chennai. In 1937, she was vice-president of the World YWCA.<ref name=":0" /> She attended [[International Council of Women]] meetings in Calcutta (1936) and Edinburgh (1938). She led one of the planning committees and was a delegate to the World Missionary Conference at [[Tambaram]] in 1938.<ref name=":0" />

Hensman was a [[justice of the peace]] in Madras,<ref name=":1" /> and a Member of Parliament, representing Madras State in the Rajya Sabha, and as a member of the Indian National Congress.<ref>{{cite web|title=RAJYA SABHA MEMBERS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 1952 - 2003|url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/pre_member/1952_2003/h.pdf|access-date=29 November 2017|publisher=[[Rajya Sabha]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Women Members of Rajya Sabha|url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/publication_electronic/Women_Members_Rajya%20Sabha.pdf|access-date=22 November 2017|publisher=[[Rajya Sabha]]|pages=145}}</ref><ref name="Secretariat2003">{{cite book|author=India. Parliament. Rajya Sabha. Secretariat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_JAOAQAAMAAJ|title=Women members of Rajya Sabha|publisher=Rajya Sabha Secretariat|year=2003|page=15|access-date=29 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="Sabha1955">{{cite book|author=India. Parliament. Rajya Sabha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d9JFAQAAIAAJ|title=Who's who|publisher=Rajya Sabha Secretariat|year=1955|page=132|access-date=29 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="Reed1964">{{cite book|author=Sir Stanley Reed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hwEfAQAAMAAJ|title=The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company|year=1964|page=1148|access-date=29 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Distinguished Alumni|url=https://wccalumnae.wordpress.com/distinguished-alumni/|access-date=29 November 2017|publisher=Women's Christian College}}</ref> She was the first woman whip in the Indian parliament. She represented India at the [[United Nations]].

In 1937, Hensman was made a Member of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (MBE).

== Personal life ==
Mona Mitter married Henry S. Hensman, a doctor by professional of Tamil Jaffna Origin. They had two children, Rajkumar and Benodini. Mona MItter died in 1991, aged 92 years, in Chennai.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hensman, Mona}}
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the Madras Legislative Council]]
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Ethiraj College for Women alumni]]

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Mona Hensman