First Female Pandita: Why Ramabai Is Called Pandita? 5 Interesting Lesser Known Facts About Ramabai

                                               Credit: Source

Who Was Pandita Ramabai?

Pandita Ramabai was a well known female social reformer who not just stood strong for herself but raised a whole community of widow, which was considered helpless in that era along with her.

Her full name was Pandita Ramabai Saraswati, she was born in a high-caste Hindu Brahman family on 23rd April 1858 and died on 5th of same month in the year 1922.

She named Dongre by the time of her birth which later became Madhvi, after her marriage with a Bengali lawyer Bipin Behari Medhvi. A man belonging to a much lower social class than her that is Kayasthya.

Which was a stereotype breaking decision and unconsciously one more contribution in the nap of Indian society.

 Credit: Source

Pandita Ramabai Daughter and Family

Ananta Shastri Dongre, Her Father was a famous reciter of sanskrit sculptures and forwarded the knowledge to ramabai and her brother as a tradition.

After his death ramabai along with her brother took the legacy ahead and started reciting sanskrit sculptures.

And reached to calcutta for speaking about the sanskrit.

After 2 years of marriage she lost her husband and left to be a single mother of manorma bai her only daughter but she never compromised with her daughter's raising.

Her daughter, manorma bai also contributed to her mother's social activities. 

Why is Ramabai called Pandita?

Father's death passed some responsibilities on his child. Ramabai along with her brother started learning the language (sanskrit)and continued with their father's duty of reciting the granths.

University of Calcutta given her the title of Pandita and Saraswati because of her capability of reading and writing sanskrit.

It was an astonishing achievement which hook so many attention and still catches the eyes today after more than 150 years. 

What Was The Contribution of Pandita Ramabai?

Her first english book with a title "The High Caste Hindu Woman" talked about the reality of our society and made us look into our own.

She didn't stop at only learning but she shared it with everyone.

She shared how difficult it is to be a widow and a single mother through her book.

Geraldine Forbes also written about Ramabai in her writing named "Women in Modern India" 

Apart from books she took some concrete steps to help other females especially widow and started mukti mission and arya mahila samaj.

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How Did Pandita Ramabai Help The Widows? Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission

On 30th november 1882, She founded Arya Mahila Samaj for empowering women, giving them the education they needed to live a respected and independent life and a voice against child marriage came in existence with this great organisation. 

She did not stop and founded sharda sadan in 1889, later one more efficient non profitable organisation started to benefit as much as she could named mukti mission. 

The Indian daughter spoke about need of the female teachers, inspectors and women doctors a need which was "out to lunch" for others. 

Her raising speaks through manorma who helped her mother throughout the journey hence one voice raised a whole attitude of her own daughter and there must be hundreds/thousands of people like manorma who must get influenced by ramabai. 

Pandita, cast-ism and Patriarchy: Is It Really A Compliment?

Reason behind calling Ramabai a pandita fills us with proud but have you ever thought why pandita only?

We often get confused between words of praises and a well planned wicked move.

Putting pandita before Ramabai's name is so overwhelming and extraordinary as well. And this extraordinary word brings so much questions with it.

It is covert in meaning but speaks much loudly about countable number of literate females.

Regardless of truth that, patriarchy has a big hand behind this less number of literate women they thought of making it an evidence of inefficacy of women in the terms of education especially when it comes to education of sanskrit which was right of men for a longer time.

And how an educational achievement can be compared with a term which refers to a particular caste?

Does reading & writing of sanskrit limited to pandits only?

If someone learns it with full dedication and a lot of hard work only that should be promoted not a name of caste.

Why Ramabai Called Pandita? An Another Angle

Now there is no second thought about why she called pandita.

It's just a matter of establishing hegemony.

One is superior on other is the ultimate idea be it gender or societal status.

It is high time to recognize and promote the other half's perspective and raise voice against any sort of discrimination or injustice.

And make the whole world believe in every one. 

And "There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish"  - Michelle Obama

Neither a word nor a mentality can stop us from achieving the real achievement not a word of mercy, castism and not a message of patriarchy can stop us. 

Written By: Komal Jha