Pandita ramabai was just five feet tall, with short black hair and small bones. Pandita ramabai indian christian and reformer 23april 1858 in karnataka 5 april 1922. The high caste hindu woman by pandita ramabai sarasvati. Download pandita ramabai in pdf and epub formats for free. Pandita ramabai was born in india in 1858 into a marathi speaking. Publication date 1900 topics ramabai sarasvati, pandita, 18581922, women india. Thus by age 32, pandita ramabai had circumnavigated the globe, raised metropolitan funding for a feminist social reform in her native land, converted to a new religion but only on her own terms, and written two insightful pieces of social analysis. Prior to her parents death, ramabai s father, anant shastri dongre, a sanskrit scholar taught her sanskrit at home. In 1921, her beautiful daughter manorama suddenly died of sickness. Mukti mission us provides avenues for our partners to bring hope, healing, and life for indian women and children. Pandita ramabai mukti mission prmm near kedgaon railway station boripardhi kedgaon, daund taluka, maharashtra 412203 india map location phone. Instrumental in the revival in india was a young woman by the name of pandita ramabai. Pandita ramabai was a woman of brahman background from pune in maharashtra.
The life of pandita ramabai is featured in national council of educational research and training ncert text books and is studied in depth in the postgraduate humanities courses. Indians who encountered her gave her the title pandita, meaning the learned one. Why should i shut the door of my room, which i do not shut at any other time during 24 hours of the day. Wycliffe, luther, tyndale, townsend all feature prominently on these pages and rightly so. Ramabai, dongre medhavi pandita ramabai sarasvati 18581922 indian christian social reformer, educator and bible translator. Pandita ramabai saraswati and christianity mission kaali. Pandita ramabai sarasvati was an indian social reformer, a pioneer in the education and emancipation of women in india. Pandita ramabai the forgotten heroine of india babli paul. Fluent in several languages, ramabai translated the bible into marathi, a west indian language. Her father ananta shastri, was a learned brahmin and something of a social reformer. Pandita ramabai simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. He could not see why women and people of shudra caste should not learn to. Her father was a wandering professional reciter of hindu epic and mythological texts. Pandita ramabai dongre medhavi her full married name was born on april 23, 1858, in her fathers ashram a religious community where devotees stayed to learn more of the hindu faith 4,000 feet above sea level on the forest slopes of the western ghats near karkal.
Pandita ramabai 23 april 1858, maharashtra 5 april 1922 was an eminent indian christian social reformer and activist. She was a poet, a scholar, and a champion of improvement in the plight of indian women. A poet and scholar, she tried hard to improve make better the lives of women in india. She served the people with the love of christ and she has also translated. Maharashtra state board of literature and culture, 1977, pandita ramabai to sister geraldine, cheltenham, july 1884, p. In 19, the first edition of the new testament of ramabai s translation in marathi was published. Ramabai was born in 1858 to a high caste brahmin sanskrit scholar, anant shastri dongre. Pandita ramabai was a social reformer in nineteenthcentury british india. Pandita ramabai, the mukti revival and global pentecostalism. Mar 30, 2011 pandita ramabai 18581922 is perhaps one of the most celebrated women in all of indias history. Pioneer in the movement for the educa tion of the childwidow of india.
The letters and correspondence of pandita ramabai bombay. Christianity church church history timeline 18011900 pandita ramabai reclaimed rejects timeline 60001 bc ad 0 301600 601900 9011200 12011500 15011600 16011700 17011800 18011900 19012000 2001now. By the time she was twenty, she could recite 18,000 verses of the puranas, a hindu holy book. Pandita ramabai 18581922 an honorable heritage my father, though a very orthodox hindu and strictly adhering to caste and other religious rules, was yet a reformer in his own way. She longed to see a powerful revival among the neglected and helpless widows of india. Pandita sarasvati ramabai 18581922, that most famous indian woman, christian, reformer, bible translator and social activist, and in particular the revival movement in her mission, had an important role in the emergence of pentecostalism worldwide. Pandita ramabai mukti mission an ngo empowering women. Jesus was her guru christian history christianity today. She was one of the 10 women delegates of the congress session of 1889. He married a girl of nine and decided to educate her. Pandita ramabai sarasvati 23 april 1858 5 april 1922 23 april is the birthday of indian social reformer, pandita ramabai sarasvati the founder of pandita ramabai mukti mission in india. Page 11 but god hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.
A year later, ramabai passed away at 64, soon after copies of the marathi translation of the bible started coming out from the mukti missions press. In their worship one gentleman opened the bible and read something, then all closed their eyes and prayed to their god without any image before them. Abrams america asked became become believed bible blessing bombay brahmin brother building called carried caste caused chapter child christ christian close daughter death desire early england experience faith famine father felt formed friends gave girls give given. Ramabai at work on her translation of the bible into. Marathi, bengali, hindustani, kanarese, and english, clearly demonstrating that women are fully capable of learning. She is probably the first literate woman in recent indian history. The pandita ramabai story in her own words pandita ramabai 18581922 an honorable heritage my father, though a very orthodox hindu and strictly adhering to caste and other religious rules, was yet a reformer in his own way.
This is a brief but thrilling account of an outpouring of the holy spirit, which occurred in india in 1905. In 1924, the complete bible was printed in the mukti printing press. Pandita ramabai s bible is one of the onlyif not the onlytranslations of the bible done completely by a woman. Pandita ramabai, with the help of her students, translated this bible into vernacular marathi. Ramabai dongre was born on 23 rd april 1858 in a marathi brahmin family. Pandita ramabai sarasvati 23 april 1858 5 april 1922 was an indian social reformer, a pioneer in the education and emancipation of women in india.
Pandita ramabais bible is one of the onlyif not the onlytranslations of the bible done completely by a woman. At the age of 12 she had memorized thousands of sacred verses from the hindu sacred scriptures and gained exceptional knowledge of. Ramabai, dongre medhavi pandita ramabai sarasvati 1858. Shah called her the greatest woman produced by modern india and one of the greatest indians in all history. Unknown, bible stories about jesus christ in marathi 468. After that one of them came to me and gave me a sanskrit bible. Pandita ramabais educational and missionary activities in late nineteenthcentury india and abroad meera kosambi sndt womens university, mumbai, india abstract pandita ramabai, a brahmin scholar of repute, converted to christianity during her visit to england for higher studies in the 1880s. Ramakrishna mission and reformers like jyotiba phule, pandita ramabai, sri narayana guru, periyar, vivekananda, mahatma gandhi and.
Ramabai at work on her translation of the bible into popular marathi title ramabai on her first visit to america, 1886. Mukti means salvation, and her vision was to create an interdenominational community of christians that served needy women and children. Her last, posthumous work was a translation of the entire bible into marathi. Ramabai dongre medhavi, genannt pandita ramabai 23. Pandita ramabaithe forgotten heroine of india babli paul asst. It is humbling to realise how few western feminists know about pandita ramabai. Pandita ramabai, social reformer and bible translator cbe. When ramabai was eight years old, her mother began teaching her sanskrit. The family traveled, ramabai s father teaching the holy scriptures for a living. Pandita ramabai book also available for read online, mobi, docx and mobile and kindle reading. Later translators of the bible include bapuji appaji, b.
In 1922, when ramabai was nearing her death, she prayed for 10 days to finish the proof reading and god granted her exactly 10 days. Mar 11, 2011 her last, posthumous work was a translation of the entire bible into marathi. Pandita ramabai saraswati was born as rama dongre, to a marathi speaking chitpawan brahmin family. A learned woman knowing seven languages, she also translated the bible into her mother. In calcutta ramabai s prowess in sanskrit so impressed pandits that she was designated pandita, a name retained even after she was a christian. For years, many american protestants had supported mukti and its legendary founder, pandita ramabai. Pandita ramabai convert from hinduism to christianity. She lost both her parents at the age of 16 due to famine of 18761878 and was survived by her elder brother. Pandita ramabai sarasvati was a prominent indian social reformer, a pioneer in the education and emancipation of women in india. In collaboration with church centric bible translation, free bibles india has published a marathi translation online. Pandita ramabai was born in india in 1858 into a marathi speaking family, belonging to the priestly brahmin caste.
Oct 02, 2012 pandita ramabai was born on 23 rd april in the forest of gangamal in western maharashtra. Tragedy struck as her mother, father and sister all perished in the famine of 1877. It was sparked by news of the revival in wales and another outbreak of divine power in the khassia hills in assam. Pandita ramabai sermons illustrations higher praise. In 1889, she founded a school called sharada sadan home of wisdom in marathi, where indian girls received care and education, and her bible was translated and published.
The first marathi translation of the holy bible was published in the early years of. In collaboration with church centric bible translation, free bibles india has published a. As a women activist, she voiced her grievances against the dominant patriarchal norms. Pandita ramabai project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. E verliving god, you called the women at the tomb to witness to the resurrection of your son.
Restoring hope to women and children gripped by the hopelessness of poverty, rejection, and abandonment, renewing shattered lives by healing past scars and rebuilding life by shaping and empowering their futures. The rest of her careerfounding and managing her schools, becoming an evangelical christian and. A testimony paperback january 1, 1968 by pandita ramabai author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Ramabai is both significant in the origins of pente. Known as mukti, this home was founded in 1889 in india, where it is known as pandita ramabai mukti mission, after its founder pandita ramabai and the marathi word mukti which means freedom, liberation and salvation. The pandita ramabai story in her own words bible teaching.
Pandita ramabai reclaimed rejects 18011900 church history. Ramabai dongre dongre was her family name, medhavi her married name was born into a highcaste hindu family. Translated by pandita ramabai, a woman who learned hebrew and greek in order to translate the bible into simple marathi for rural folk who found the classical style of other translations too difficultbook of a thousand tongues 2d ed. Social science module 1 religious and social awkening in colonial india india and the world. Pandita ramabai 23april 1858 in karnataka 5 april 1922 was an eminent indian christian social reformer and activist. She finished translating the entire bible before she died.
She was the first woman to be accorded the titles of pandita as a sanskrit scholar and sarasvati after being examined by the faculty of the university of calcutta. Pioneeri 447 australian edition, pandita ramabai, the widow s friend 44 7 new zealand auxiliary, ramabai and her mission 449. Pandita ramabai 18581922 has not only been acknowledged as an eminent social reformer and a scholar but also perhaps as one of the first feminists in the modern indian history who struggled for the emancipation of indian women. Her drift from orthodoxy was seen in her association with a reform movement, by her speeches in favor of female emancipation, and then by her breaking caste in marrying a man of lower caste who.
In 19 the first edition of pandita ramabais new testament was published. Indian pentecost christian history christianity today. In 1904, ramabai commenced translation of the bible in marathi. In calcutta ramabais prowess in sanskrit so impressed pandits that she was designated pandita, a name retained even after she was a christian. Mukti mission us mukti mission us provides you avenues to. She offered an unyielding critique of hindu orthodoxy, caste and patriarchy and argued that education would raise the. At the age of 12 she had memorized thousands of sacred verses from the hindu sacred scriptures and gained exceptional knowledge of the hindu language. Her father, breaking tradition, taught his wife and daughter, pandita, the sacred languages. Her father was a sanskrit scholar who taught his wife and daughter to read the sanskrit texts, disproved by the society at the time. Soon revival fires were burning in india, china, korea and america. Pandita ramabai 18581922, known as the mother of modern india, stood for the rights of women at the time when women were denied any agency.
Apr 05, 2011 fluent in several languages, ramabai translated the bible into marathi, a west indian language. Pandita ramabai sarasvati 23 april 1858 5 april 1922 was an indian social reformer. She wrote many books, such as her popular the highcaste indian woman, which showed the troubles of child wives and women in india conversion. Pandita ramabai, a brahmin scholar of repute, converted to christianity during her visit to england for higher studies in the 1880s. Thereforehetookuphisabodeintheforestofgun gamal,inwesternindia. Ramabai at work on her translation of the bible into popular. Ramabai, like mother teresa later, worked tirelessly among indias poor, depending on the generosity of others to fund her activities. Is christian conversion missions in india, social reform. Pandita established a center for young widows and orphans called mukti meaning salvation or deliverance. Pandita ramabai, social reformer and bible translator.
Ramabai, a convert from hinduism, learned hebrew and greek in. Pandita ramabai 23 april 1858 5 april 1922 was an indian social reformer, a champion for the emancipation of women, and a pioneer in education. Pandita ramabai 18581922 is perhaps one of the most celebrated women in all of indias history. She became a christian and built a mission to rescue brahmin widows. Yet wherever she went the presence of this brahman indian womancharacterized by her greygreen eyes, shapely lips. It was in the calcutta university that she was conferred the title of pandita.
Prior to her parents death, ramabais father, anant shastri dongre, a sanskrit scholar taught her sanskrit at home. Pandita ramabai ramabai was born to a high caste hindu family. My father, though a very orthodox hindu and strictly adhering to caste and other religious rules, was yet a reformer in his own way. Trail of obidience to god pandita ramabai campus link. The first colloquial version was made by pandita ramabai in language easy for pune women to understand. Pandita ramabai 23 april 1858, karnataka 5 april 1922 was an indian christian who tried to change many things in india. Her encounter with christianity and the anglican church, within the imperial, orientalist and patriarchal framework, was problematic. Pandita ramabai was a truly remarkable woman who pioneered womens education and rebelliously championed for womens rights and empowerment. Pandita ramabai simple english wikipedia, the free. Conversion from christianity to christ posted by admin on march, 2007 in cultures 2 comments and there was not a particle of doubt left as to whether this salvation was a present one or not. He could not see why women and people of shudra caste should not learn to read and write the sanskrit language and learn sacred.
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