Renuka Ray
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Renuka Ray | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1957–1967 | |
| Preceded by | Surendra Mohan Ghose |
| Succeeded by | Uma Roy |
| Constituency | Malda, West Bengal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 January 1904 |
| Died | 11 April 1997 (aged 93) |
| Party | Indian National Congress |
| Parent | Satish Chandra Mukherjee |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan |
Renuka Ray (4 January 1904 – 11 April 1997) was a noted freedom-fighter, social activist and politician of India.[1]
She was a descendant of Brahmo reformer, Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee, and daughter of Satish Chandra Mukherjee, an ICS officer, and Charulata Mukherjee, a social worker and member of the All India Women’s Conference.[2] She was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1988.[3]
She came in contact with Mahatma Gandhi at an early age of sixteen and was greatly influenced by him. She left college to answer Gandhiji's call for boycotting the British Indian educational system. However, later when her parents persuaded Gandhiji to ask her to go to London for further studies, she joined London School of Economics in 1921.[4] She was married to Satyendra Nath Ray at an early age.[2][5]
Her maternal grandparents were the most distinguished couple of their times. Maternal grandfather Prof. P K Roy was the first Indian to receive a D Phil from Oxford University and a member of the Indian Education Service and the first Indian Principal of the prestigious Presidency College, Calcutta. Maternal grandmother Sarala Roy was a well known social worker who worked for the emancipation of women. She was the founder of Gokhale Memorial School and College and the first Indian woman to be a member of the senate, Calcutta University. Sarala Roy was the daughter of renowned Brahmo reformer Durgamohan Das and sister of Lady Abala Bose and S R Das, the founder of prestigious Doon School and a cousin of Deshbandhu C R Das.
