>JJMC89 bot III: Merging :Category:Indian women social workers to :Category:Social workers per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2021 July 3#Category:Male social workers

2021-07-31T18:32:01Z

Merging Category:Indian women social workers to Category:Social workers per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2021 July 3#Category:Male social workers

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{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Silverine Swer
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_date = 12 November 1910
| birth_place = [[Shillong]], [[Eastern Bengal and Assam]], India
| death_date = 1 February 2014
| death_place = Riatsamthiah, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
| restingplace = Mawkhar Presbyterian Church Cemetery
| restingplacecoordinates = {{Coord|25|34|47|N|91|52|38|E}}
| othername =
| occupation = Social activist Academic Civil servant
| yearsactive =
| known for =
| spouse =
| domesticpartner =
| children =
| parents =
| website =
| awards = [[Padma Shri]] Patogan Sangma Award Silver Elephant Medal of the [[The Bharat Scouts and Guides|Bharat Scouts and Guides]] Award [[Kaisar-i-Hind Medal]] RG Buruah Smriti Rakhya Samiti
}}
'''Silverine Swer''' (1910–2014), popularly known as '''Kong Sil''' (Kong means ''Elder sister'' in [[Khasi language]]), was an Indian social and environmental activist, educationist and civil servant.<ref name="The Hindu - Meghalaya’s first Padma Shri awardee dies at 103">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/meghalayas-first-padma-shri-awardee-dies-at-103/article5644227.ece | title=The Hindu - Meghalaya's first Padma Shri awardee dies at 103 | work=The Hindu | date=2 February 2014 | access-date=20 September 2015}}</ref> She was the first person of tribal origin to hold senior posts with the Government of [[Meghalaya]],<ref name="Arabia 365 News">{{cite web | url=http://arabia365.com/kong-sil-passes-away-at-103/ | title=Arabia 365 News | publisher=Arabia 365 | date=2014 | access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref> and was a recipient of the ''Silver Elephant Medal of [[the Bharat Scouts and Guides]] Award'' and [[Kaisar-i-Hind Medal]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}} The [[Government of India]] awarded her the fourth highest civilian award of [[Padma Shri]] in 1990,<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web | url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | title=Padma Awards | publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India | date=2015 | access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref> making her the first recipient of the award from the state of [[Meghalaya]].

==Biography==
Silverine Swer was born on 12 November 1910 in a [[Khasi people|Khasi]] Christian family in [[Shillong]], the capital of the Northeast Indian state of [[Meghalaya]].<ref name="Padmashri Silverine Swer passes away at 103">{{cite web | url=http://www.theshillongtimes.com/2014/02/02/padmashri-silverine-swer-passes-away-at-103/ | title=Padmashri Silverine Swer passes away at 103 | publisher=Shillong Times | date=2 February 2014 | access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref> After passing her matriculation from the Welsh Mission Girls School, Shillong, she graduated (BA) from [[Scottish Church College]], under the [[University of Calcutta]], in 1932,<ref name="Meghalaya`s oldest voter and first Padmashree awardee dead">{{cite web | url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/meghalayas-oldest-voter-and-first-padmashree-awardee-dead_908409.html | title=Meghalaya's oldest voter and first Padmashree awardee dead | publisher=Zee News | date=1 February 2014 | access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref> and continued there to secure her graduate degree in Education (BT) in 1936.<ref name="Padmashri Silverine Swer passes away at 103" /> Her career started in 1937 at her alma mater, Welsh Mission Girls’ High School, and a year later, she was appointed as the Advisor/Trainer of the Girl Guides Movement, in 1938, in charge of the various schools located in the [[British India]]n regions of Assam, Mizoram and [[East Pakistan]] (present day Bangladesh).<ref name="Kong Sil passes away at 103">{{cite web | url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140202/jsp/frontpage/story_17890344.jsp#.VgD04vmSxAC | title=Kong Sil passes away at 103 | publisher=The Telegraph | date=2 February 2014 | access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref>

In 1944, Swer was selected as the Assistant Controller of Rationing under the British Indian government.<ref name="Meghalaya bids adieu to oldest woman">{{cite web | url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/meghalaya-bids-adieu-to-oldest-woman_908850.html | title=Meghalaya bids adieu to oldest woman | publisher=Zee News | date=3 February 2014 | access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref> She held the post till 1949 when she resigned from government service to take up the job of a teacher at Pine Mount School, Shillong. She stayed at the school for three years till she had a chance meeting with N. K. Rustomji, then Adviser to the Governor of Assam on NEFA, who persuaded her to take up the post of the Chief Social Education Officer of the [[North East Frontier Agency]] (NEFA) with office at [[Pasighat]].<ref name="Padmashri Silverine Swer passes away at 103" /> She stayed with NEFA from 1952 to 1968 and returned to Shillong that year for a two-year stint at her native place where she was involved with the activities of the ''Good Will Movement'' of the [[Moral Re-Armament]] (MRA). She was among the Indian delegates who visited Sweden in 1970 in connection with MRA activities.<ref name="Kong Sil passes away at 103" /> Towards the latter part of her career, she chaired the International Year for Women and the Social Advisory Board of Meghalaya state,<ref name="Silverine Swer, Meghalaya's first Padma Shri Awardee died J Josh">{{cite web | url=http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/silverine-swer-meghalayas-first-padma-shri-awardee-died-1391425297-1 | title=Silverine Swer, Meghalaya's first Padma Shri Awardee died J Josh | publisher=Jagran Josh | date=3 February 2014 | access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref> headed the State Guides movement as its commissioner and was a member of the Executive council of the [[North Eastern Hill University]].<ref name="Kong Sil passes away at 103" />

Silverine Swer, who remained a spinster throughout her life, died on 1 February 2014, aged 103, at her residence in Riatsamthiah in Shillong.<ref name="Padmashri Silverine Swer passes away at 103" /> Her mortal remains were buried at Mawkhar Presbyterian Church Cemetery in the high range city.<ref name="Padmashri Silverine Swer passes away at 103" />

==Awards and recognitions==
Her services as the Assistant Controller of Rationing in the 1940s earned her the award of [[Kaiser-i-Hind Medal]] from the British Government.<ref name="Meghalaya bids adieu to oldest woman" /> She received the Silver Elephant Medal of the [[Bharat Scouts and Guides]] in 1976.{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}} She was also a recipient of the Patogan Sangma Award for social service and RG Buruah Smriti Rakhya Samiti Award.{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}} The Government of India awarded her the civilian honour of the [[Padma Shri]] in 1990.<ref name="Padma Awards" /> In 2010, when she turned a centenarian, the Governor of Meghalaya hosted a special party at Raj Bhavan, his official residence.<ref name="Kong Sil passes away at 103" />

==See also==
{{portal|India}}
* [[Khasi people]]
* [[Moral Re-Armament]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Social Work}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swer, Silverine}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work]]
[[Category:Scientists from Meghalaya]]
[[Category:Indian women environmentalists]]
[[Category:Social workers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal]]
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:Khasi people]]
[[Category:People from Shillong]]
[[Category:Indian Civil Service (British India) officers]]
[[Category:Indian environmentalists]]
[[Category:Indian women educational theorists]]
[[Category:Scottish Church College alumni]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:Indian centenarians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educational theorists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian social scientists]]
[[Category:Women educators from Meghalaya]]
[[Category:Educators from Meghalaya]]
[[Category:Activists from Meghalaya]]
[[Category:Women scientists from Assam]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian social scientists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:Social workers from Meghalaya]]
[[Category:Women centenarians]]
[[Category:20th-century women educators]]

Silverine Swer - Revision history

>JJMC89 bot III: Merging :Category:Indian women social workers to :Category:Social workers per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2021 July 3#Category:Male social workers