Rama Khandwala - Revision history

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← Older revision		Revision as of 08:11, 26 October 2022
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	{{Short description\|India's oldest tour guide (1926–2021)}}		{{Short description\|India's oldest tour guide (1926–2021)}}
	{{orphan\|date=November ~~2022~~}}		{{orphan\|date=November 2019}}

	{{Use Indian English\|date=October ~~2022~~}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=October 2019}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=October ~~2022~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=October 2019}}

	'''Rama Satyendra Khandwala'''<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/62600/rama-ben-oldest-tour-guide-india-ina-veteran/\|title=How 89-Year-Old Rama Ben Went from Being a Veteran Soldier to a Veteran Tour Guide\|date=2016-07-25\|website=The Better India\|language=en-US\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> ({{née}} '''Mehta''', 3 December 1926 – 28 October 2021) was India's oldest tour guide and was the oldest living member of the [[Rani of Jhansi Regiment]],<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1581891\|title=Press Information Bureau\|website=pib.gov.in\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> formed by [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] during [[Indian independence movement\|India's freedom movement]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news\|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/people/story/rama-khandwala-oldest-tour-guide-freedom-fighter-netaji-army-lifest-1062467-2017-10-11\|title=This woman was once a part of Netaji's army; now she is India's oldest tour guide\|newspaper=India Today\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02\|agency=Ist}}</ref>		'''Rama Satyendra Khandwala'''<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/62600/rama-ben-oldest-tour-guide-india-ina-veteran/\|title=How 89-Year-Old Rama Ben Went from Being a Veteran Soldier to a Veteran Tour Guide\|date=2016-07-25\|website=The Better India\|language=en-US\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> ({{née}} '''Mehta''', 3 December 1926 – 28 October 2021) was India's oldest tour guide and was the oldest living member of the [[Rani of Jhansi Regiment]],<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1581891\|title=Press Information Bureau\|website=pib.gov.in\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> formed by [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] during [[Indian independence movement\|India's freedom movement]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news\|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/people/story/rama-khandwala-oldest-tour-guide-freedom-fighter-netaji-army-lifest-1062467-2017-10-11\|title=This woman was once a part of Netaji's army; now she is India's oldest tour guide\|newspaper=India Today\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02\|agency=Ist}}</ref>

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2022-10-26T02:41:00Z

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← Older revision		Revision as of 08:11, 26 October 2022
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{~~short~~ description\|India's oldest tour guide}}		{{Short description\|India's oldest tour guide (1926–2021)}}
	{{orphan\|date=November ~~2019~~}}		{{orphan\|date=November 2022}}

	{{Use Indian English\|date=October ~~2019~~}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=October 2022}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=October ~~2019~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=October 2022}}

	'''Rama Satyendra Khandwala'''<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/62600/rama-ben-oldest-tour-guide-india-ina-veteran/\|title=How 89-Year-Old Rama Ben Went from Being a Veteran Soldier to a Veteran Tour Guide\|date=2016-07-25\|website=The Better India\|language=en-US\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> ({{née}} '''Mehta''', 3 December 1926 – 28 October 2021) was India's oldest tour guide and was the oldest living member of the [[Rani of Jhansi Regiment]],<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1581891\|title=Press Information Bureau\|website=pib.gov.in\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> formed by [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] during [[Indian independence movement\|India's freedom movement]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news\|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/people/story/rama-khandwala-oldest-tour-guide-freedom-fighter-netaji-army-lifest-1062467-2017-10-11\|title=This woman was once a part of Netaji's army; now she is India's oldest tour guide\|newspaper=India Today\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02\|agency=Ist}}</ref>		'''Rama Satyendra Khandwala'''<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/62600/rama-ben-oldest-tour-guide-india-ina-veteran/\|title=How 89-Year-Old Rama Ben Went from Being a Veteran Soldier to a Veteran Tour Guide\|date=2016-07-25\|website=The Better India\|language=en-US\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> ({{née}} '''Mehta''', 3 December 1926 – 28 October 2021) was India's oldest tour guide and was the oldest living member of the [[Rani of Jhansi Regiment]],<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1581891\|title=Press Information Bureau\|website=pib.gov.in\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> formed by [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] during [[Indian independence movement\|India's freedom movement]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news\|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/people/story/rama-khandwala-oldest-tour-guide-freedom-fighter-netaji-army-lifest-1062467-2017-10-11\|title=This woman was once a part of Netaji's army; now she is India's oldest tour guide\|newspaper=India Today\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02\|agency=Ist}}</ref>

	== Early life ==		== Early life ==
	Khandwala was born on 3 December 1926<ref>[https://www.thebetterindia.com/229887/mumbai-rama-khandwala-freedom-fighter-subhas-chandra-bose-national-award-best-tour-guide-india-gop94/ India’s Oldest Tour Guide, This 94-YO Mumbai Woman Fought Alongside Netaji in INA]</ref> to an affluent family in [[Yangon\|Rangoon]], [[Myanmar\|Burma]] (now Yangon, Myanmar) as the fifth of seven siblings. Her grandfather was a doctor and a lawyer.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web\|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/rama-khandwala-91-yo-woman-ina-veteran-from-mumbai-is-the-best-tourist-guide-in-india-330802.html\|title=Rama Khandwala, 91-YO Woman INA Veteran From Mumbai, Is The Best Tourist Guide In India\|date=2017-10-01\|website=indiatimes.com\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> Her mother, Lilavati Chhaganlal Mehta, was the recruiting officer at the Rani of Jhansi Regiment and a part of the [[Indian Independence League]]. At the age of 17, Khandwala and her sister Neelam joined the Regiment as [[sepoy]]s after hearing Bose's speech in Rangoon.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/for-these-ranis-netaji-was-like-king-elvis/articleshow/56708400.cms\|title=For these Ranis, Netaji was like King Elvis ~~{{!}} India News - Times of India~~\|~~last~~=~~Jan~~ 22\|first=Manimugdha S. ~~Sharma {{!}} TNN {{!}} Updated~~\|~~last2~~=~~2017~~\|website=The Times of India\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02~~\|last3=Ist\|first3=0:00~~}}</ref> She attended a private school where the popular refrain was: "Britain shall always rule the waves".<ref name=":4" />		Khandwala was born on 3 December 1926<ref>[https://www.thebetterindia.com/229887/mumbai-rama-khandwala-freedom-fighter-subhas-chandra-bose-national-award-best-tour-guide-india-gop94/ India’s Oldest Tour Guide, This 94-YO Mumbai Woman Fought Alongside Netaji in INA]</ref> to an affluent family in [[Yangon\|Rangoon]], [[Myanmar\|Burma]] (now Yangon, Myanmar) as the fifth of seven siblings. Her grandfather was a doctor and a lawyer.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web\|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/rama-khandwala-91-yo-woman-ina-veteran-from-mumbai-is-the-best-tourist-guide-in-india-330802.html\|title=Rama Khandwala, 91-YO Woman INA Veteran From Mumbai, Is The Best Tourist Guide In India\|date=2017-10-01\|website=indiatimes.com\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> Her mother, Lilavati Chhaganlal Mehta, was the recruiting officer at the Rani of Jhansi Regiment and a part of the [[Indian Independence League]]. At the age of 17, Khandwala and her sister Neelam joined the Regiment as [[sepoy]]s after hearing Bose's speech in Rangoon.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/for-these-ranis-netaji-was-like-king-elvis/articleshow/56708400.cms\|title=For these Ranis, Netaji was like King Elvis \|date=January 22, 2017\|first=Manimugdha S. \|last=Sharma \|website=The Times of India\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> She attended a private school where the popular refrain was "Britain shall always rule the waves".<ref name=":4" />

	== Career ==		== Career ==
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	As a part of the Regiment, she was trained to be a soldier and a nurse. Military training included rifle and bayonet practice, handling machine guns and [[Sten\|STEN guns]], and defense and attack maneuvers. Medical training included working in general wards and operating rooms.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.khabar.com/magazine/cover-story/give_me_blood_and_i_will_give_you_freedom.aspx\|title=Give me blood, and I will give you freedom\|website=www.khabar.com\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>		As a part of the Regiment, she was trained to be a soldier and a nurse. Military training included rifle and bayonet practice, handling machine guns and [[Sten\|STEN guns]], and defense and attack maneuvers. Medical training included working in general wards and operating rooms.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.khabar.com/magazine/cover-story/give_me_blood_and_i_will_give_you_freedom.aspx\|title=Give me blood, and I will give you freedom\|website=www.khabar.com\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>

	In 1944, she worked as a nurse in a hospital located in [[Pyin Oo Lwin\|Maymyo]] (now, Pyin Oo Lwin) and almost died in an air raid.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> After World War II, she and her family were put under house-arrest for six months and later moved to [[Mumbai\|Bombay]] (now, Mumbai) in 1946. In the initial year, she worked as a secretary in a trading firm, nurse, and a Japanese language translator but she was not very keen on desk jobs.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web\|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/meet-91-year-old-rama-khandwala-indias-oldest-tour-guide/\|title=Meet 91-Year-Old Rama Khandwala, India's Oldest Tour Guide\|last=Binayak\|first=Poonam\|website=Culture Trip\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> Later, she spotted an advertisement for becoming trained tourist guides and decided to pursue it. She had learned Japanese during their occupation of Burma between 1942 and 1945. She worked as a translator for documentaries created by Japanese television channels, and corporates.<ref name=":2" /> During her stint as an interpreter for a Japanese documentary, she met the Dalai Lama and accompanied the King of Bhutan on a hike to Elephanta's Buddhist caves as a guide.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web\|url=http://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1542942\|title=Film festival to be held on theme of "Freedom Struggle and Freedom Fighters"\|website=pib.gov.in\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>		In 1944, she worked as a nurse in a hospital located in [[Pyin Oo Lwin\|Maymyo]] (now, Pyin Oo Lwin) and almost died in an air raid.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> After World War II, she and her family were put under house-arrest for six months and later moved to [[Mumbai\|Bombay]] (now, Mumbai) in 1946. In the initial year, she worked as a secretary in a trading firm, nurse, and a Japanese language translator but she was not very keen on desk jobs.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web\|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/meet-91-year-old-rama-khandwala-indias-oldest-tour-guide/\|title=Meet 91-Year-Old Rama Khandwala, India's Oldest Tour Guide\|last=Binayak\|first=Poonam\|website=Culture Trip\|date=5 March 2018 \|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> Later, she spotted an advertisement for becoming trained tourist guides and decided to pursue it. She had learned Japanese during their occupation of Burma between 1942 and 1945. She worked as a translator for documentaries created by Japanese television channels, and corporates.<ref name=":2" /> During her stint as an interpreter for a Japanese documentary, she met the Dalai Lama and accompanied the King of Bhutan on a hike to Elephanta's Buddhist caves as a guide.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web\|url=http://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1542942\|title=Film festival to be held on theme of "Freedom Struggle and Freedom Fighters"\|website=pib.gov.in\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>

	Khandwala served as a tour guide for over 50 years, remaining active into her later years, and was particularly popular with Japanese tourists visiting India.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In 2019, she became a [[TED (conference)\|TEDx]] speaker.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://homegrown.co.in/article/802039/meet-indias-oldest-tour-guide-former-freedom-fighter-rama-khandwala\|title=Meet India's Oldest Tour Guide & Former Freedom Fighter, Rama Khandwala~~\|last=Homegrown~~\|website=homegrown.co.in\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>		Khandwala served as a tour guide for over 50 years, remaining active into her later years, and was particularly popular with Japanese tourists visiting India.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In 2019, she became a [[TED (conference)\|TEDx]] speaker.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://homegrown.co.in/article/802039/meet-indias-oldest-tour-guide-former-freedom-fighter-rama-khandwala\|title=Meet India's Oldest Tour Guide & Former Freedom Fighter, Rama Khandwala\|website=homegrown.co.in\|language=en\|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>

	== Personal life ==		== Personal life ==

>Editrite!: /* Career */ Cleanup

2021-11-14T04:39:44Z

Career: Cleanup

New page

{{short description|India's oldest tour guide}}
{{orphan|date=November 2019}}

{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

'''Rama Satyendra Khandwala'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/62600/rama-ben-oldest-tour-guide-india-ina-veteran/|title=How 89-Year-Old Rama Ben Went from Being a Veteran Soldier to a Veteran Tour Guide|date=2016-07-25|website=The Better India|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> ({{née}} '''Mehta''', 3 December 1926 – 28 October 2021) was India's oldest tour guide and was the oldest living member of the [[Rani of Jhansi Regiment]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1581891|title=Press Information Bureau|website=pib.gov.in|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> formed by [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] during [[Indian independence movement|India's freedom movement]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/people/story/rama-khandwala-oldest-tour-guide-freedom-fighter-netaji-army-lifest-1062467-2017-10-11|title=This woman was once a part of Netaji's army; now she is India's oldest tour guide|newspaper=India Today|language=en|access-date=2019-11-02|agency=Ist}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Khandwala was born on 3 December 1926<ref>[https://www.thebetterindia.com/229887/mumbai-rama-khandwala-freedom-fighter-subhas-chandra-bose-national-award-best-tour-guide-india-gop94/ India’s Oldest Tour Guide, This 94-YO Mumbai Woman Fought Alongside Netaji in INA]</ref> to an affluent family in [[Yangon|Rangoon]], [[Myanmar|Burma]] (now Yangon, Myanmar) as the fifth of seven siblings. Her grandfather was a doctor and a lawyer.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/rama-khandwala-91-yo-woman-ina-veteran-from-mumbai-is-the-best-tourist-guide-in-india-330802.html|title=Rama Khandwala, 91-YO Woman INA Veteran From Mumbai, Is The Best Tourist Guide In India|date=2017-10-01|website=indiatimes.com|language=en|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> Her mother, Lilavati Chhaganlal Mehta, was the recruiting officer at the Rani of Jhansi Regiment and a part of the [[Indian Independence League]]. At the age of 17, Khandwala and her sister Neelam joined the Regiment as [[sepoy]]s after hearing Bose's speech in Rangoon.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/for-these-ranis-netaji-was-like-king-elvis/articleshow/56708400.cms|title=For these Ranis, Netaji was like King Elvis {{!}} India News - Times of India|last=Jan 22|first=Manimugdha S. Sharma {{!}} TNN {{!}} Updated|last2=2017|website=The Times of India|language=en|access-date=2019-11-02|last3=Ist|first3=0:00}}</ref> She attended a private school where the popular refrain was: "Britain shall always rule the waves".<ref name=":4" />

== Career ==
Joining as a Sepoy, Khandwala soon became the Second Lieutenant at the Regiment and led 30 Ranis for two years in Rangoon. Speaking about her experience with [[Condé Nast Traveller|Conde Nast Traveller]], she said:<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cntraveller.in/story/91-year-old-freedom-fighter-indias-oldest-tour-guide/|title=This 91-year-old freedom fighter is India's oldest tour guide|date=2017-10-10|website=Condé Nast Traveller India|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>
{{Quote|text=My years in the INA were the most precious ones. The training was tough. I was promoted to be a Second Lieutenant and led 30 Ranis. That training still keeps me going. They aren’t going to make any freedom fighter-tour guides anymore, are they?|sign=|source=}}
As a part of the Regiment, she was trained to be a soldier and a nurse. Military training included rifle and bayonet practice, handling machine guns and [[Sten|STEN guns]], and defense and attack maneuvers. Medical training included working in general wards and operating rooms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.khabar.com/magazine/cover-story/give_me_blood_and_i_will_give_you_freedom.aspx|title=Give me blood, and I will give you freedom|website=www.khabar.com|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>

In 1944, she worked as a nurse in a hospital located in [[Pyin Oo Lwin|Maymyo]] (now, Pyin Oo Lwin) and almost died in an air raid.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> After World War II, she and her family were put under house-arrest for six months and later moved to [[Mumbai|Bombay]] (now, Mumbai) in 1946. In the initial year, she worked as a secretary in a trading firm, nurse, and a Japanese language translator but she was not very keen on desk jobs.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/meet-91-year-old-rama-khandwala-indias-oldest-tour-guide/|title=Meet 91-Year-Old Rama Khandwala, India's Oldest Tour Guide|last=Binayak|first=Poonam|website=Culture Trip|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref> Later, she spotted an advertisement for becoming trained tourist guides and decided to pursue it. She had learned Japanese during their occupation of Burma between 1942 and 1945. She worked as a translator for documentaries created by Japanese television channels, and corporates.<ref name=":2" /> During her stint as an interpreter for a Japanese documentary, she met the Dalai Lama and accompanied the King of Bhutan on a hike to Elephanta's Buddhist caves as a guide.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1542942|title=Film festival to be held on theme of "Freedom Struggle and Freedom Fighters"|website=pib.gov.in|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>

Khandwala served as a tour guide for over 50 years, remaining active into her later years, and was particularly popular with Japanese tourists visiting India.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In 2019, she became a [[TED (conference)|TEDx]] speaker.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://homegrown.co.in/article/802039/meet-indias-oldest-tour-guide-former-freedom-fighter-rama-khandwala|title=Meet India's Oldest Tour Guide & Former Freedom Fighter, Rama Khandwala|last=Homegrown|website=homegrown.co.in|language=en|access-date=2019-11-02}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Khandwala married in [[Bombay]] in 1949. Her husband died in 1982, and she had one daughter.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />

She died in Mumbai on 28 October 2021, at the age of 94.<ref>[https://everloved.com/life-of/rama-khanwala/obituary/ Rama Satyendra Khandwala obituary]</ref>

== Recognition ==
In 2017, President [[Ram Nath Kovind]] felicitated Khandwala with the ''Best Tourist Guide Award'' at the [[National Tourism Awards]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/for-91-year-old-tour-guide-rama-age-is-just-a-number/article19765663.ece|title=For 91-year-old tour guide Rama, age is just a number|agency=Press Trust of India|date=2017-09-28|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-11-02|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> On India's 72nd Independence Day, Khandwala inaugurated and was the chief guest at the Indian Film Festival organised by the Films Division, [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]].<ref name=":3" />

A documentary film about her wartime experiences, entitled "Elephants do Remember," was released in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pandya|first=Sonal|title=Elephants Do Remember review: 93-year-old freedom fighter Rama Khandwala has lost none of her spark|url=https://www.cinestaan.com/reviews/elephants-do-remember-42890|access-date=2021-10-29|website=Cinestaan}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Azad Hind Fauj}}
{{Subhas Chandra Bose}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khandwala, Rama}}
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Azad Hind]]
[[Category:Indian National Army personnel]]
[[Category:Indian revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Indian women in war]]
[[Category:Subhas Chandra Bose]]
[[Category:Tour guides]]
[[Category:Women in World War II]]