Labanya Prabha Ghosh: Difference between revisions

'''Labanya Prabha Ghosh''' (1897&ndash;2003), also called '''Labanya Devi''',<ref name=niranjan>{{cite book|last=Ghosh|first=Niranjan|title=Role of women in the freedom movement in Bengal, 1919-1947: Midnapore, Bankura, and Purulia district|year=1988|publisher=Tamralipta Prakashini|pages=291, 308, 310|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYtAAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Labanya+Prabha+Ghosh%22}}</ref> a [[Gandhian]],<ref name=pioneer/>  was a prominent personality of the Indian freedom movement, from [[Purulia]] District of [[West Bengal]].<ref name=poverty/> She lived for almost 106 years and during later part of her life, was forced to live in a poverty-stricken [[ashram]], her only source of income being a pension paid for freedom fighters.<ref name=poverty>{{cite news|last=Chakraborty|first=Debajyoti|title=No freedom from poverty|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2001-07-24/kolkata/27223916_1_freedom-fighter-purulia-ghosh|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104104526/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2001-07-24/kolkata/27223916_1_freedom-fighter-purulia-ghosh|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2013|access-date=23 September 2012|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=24 July 2001}}</ref> All through her life, before and after independence of India, she fought for justice of common man.

She was born on 14 August 1897 and was popularly known as "Manbhum Janani" (Mother of Manbhum district). In 1908, at the age of 11, she was married to [[Atul Chandra Ghosh]], another important personality of Indian freedom movement from [[Purulia]] district. She never went to school but was taught by her father. Her father, Risi Nabarun Chandra<ref name=poverty/> was also a freedom fighter, who along with his son-in-law, established "Shilpashram", at [[Telkalpara]], Purulia, which was a place of gathering for several freedom fighters including [[Subhas Chandra Bose]], Chittaranjan das and on certain occasions, Mahatma Gandhi also visited this ashram.<ref name="accessmylibrary"/> She was the first woman MLA from Purulia who was elected representing Lok sevak Sangha.<ref name="accessmylibrary">{{cite news|agency=Asia Africa Intelligence wire|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-23711387_ITM|title=Suffering in the land of martyrs|newspaper=The Statesman|date=4 July 2003|access-date=22 September 2012}}</ref> She was an active member of "Shilpashram", an important center of freedom struggle movement of Manbhum region. She wrote several article in [[Mukti (newspaper)|Mukti]],a weekly periodical from established by her husband at Purulia and she continued as editor of the periodical after his death in 1961.<ref name="prasad">{{cite book |last1=Choudhary|first1=Valmiki(Ed.)|title= Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Correspondence and Select Documents Vol 10|url=https://books.google.com/?id=QfqUPmd1nvQC&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq=Labanya+Ghosh#v=onepage&q=Labanya%20Ghosh&f=false |access-date=24 September 2012 |volume=10 |year= 1984|publisher=Allied Publishers |location=New Delhi |isbn=9788170230021 |page=134 }}</ref> She was a leading lady for several protests in Purulia during British Raj<ref name=niranjan/> and she was recognised as an important freedom fighter of the area. Her son Arun Chandra Gosh and daughter Urmila Majumdar were also freedom fighters and lived with her in Shilpashrama, Purulia.<ref name=poverty/>

She played a major role in [[Salt March]] (1930) and Pataka Satyagraha (1945) and was arrested several times by British Government.<ref name="purulia.gov.in" /><ref name=role>{{cite book |last1=Kumari |first1=Saroj |title=Role of women in the freedom movement in Bihar, 1912-1947 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=23cwAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Labanya+Prabha+Ghosh%22&dq=%22Labanya+Prabha+Ghosh%22 |access-date=24 September 2012 |year=2005 |publisher=Janaki Prakashan |location=Patna |pages=138, 179 }}</ref> She also undertook individual Satyagraha and was arrested by British during 1941.<ref name=role/> Labanya Prabha Ghosh along with her daughter Kamala Ghosh organised protest in Shilpa Ashrama, Purulia as a part of [[Quit India movement]] called by Mahatma Gandhi during 1942 and both were arrested.<ref name="women">{{cite book |last1=Thakur |first1=Bharti |title=Women in Gandhi's Mass Movements |url=https://books.google.com/?id=7qJesClv4z4C&pg=PA164&lpg=PA164&dq=Lavanya+Prabha+Ghosh#v=onepage&q=Lavanya%20Prabha%20Ghosh&f=false |access-date=24 September 2012 |year=2006 |publisher=Deep and Deep Publications |isbn=9788176298186 |page=164 }}</ref>