Vidya Munshi

She took part in the foundation conference of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), held in London in October–November, 1945, representing the All India Students’ Federation (AISF).^[4] It was attended by delegates from 67 countries. India was represented by Vidya Kanuga, Ketayun Boomla and AH Sader. M Raschid was observer. They attended on behalf of the FEDIND. Vidya Kanuga was the secretary of the commission on Participation of Youth in the Construction of a Stable and Lasting Peace at the WFDY conference.^{[citation needed]}

The first Council meet of WFDY (19 July – 5 August 1946) held in Paris, formed a colonial Bureau. Vidya Kanuga was charged with responsibility of the Bureau. It decided to run a campaign that food should be sent to India as a first priority.^{[citation needed]}

Vidya also attended the founding conference of Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) in Paris in 1945 along with Ela Reid, general secretary of Mahila Atma Raksha Samiti (MARS).^[4] It was held in Velodrome D’Hiver (Winter Stadium) between 26 November and 1 December 1945. Vidya and Ila Reid represented India at this massive inaugural conference.^[1][2]

She returned to India in 1948 as the representative of the WFDY. She worked in the Preparatory Committee of Southeast Asian Youth Conference held in Calcutta in February 1948.^[1][2]

She attended the first congress of National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) in 1954 in Calcutta. She was in its Press Liaison Committee. She was thus among the founders of the NFIW.^{[citation needed]}

On return from UK, she married geographer and journalist Sunil Munshi, who later became a famous intellectual, journalist and Communist. Sunil was earlier also an editor of the famous journal of AISF ‘The Student’ in Bombay. She also wrote often in ‘The Student’. It was in this journal that she was groomed as a journalist. Then she shifted to Calcutta and worked as correspondent for Blitz.^[5] She was asked to edit a Bengali paper ‘Chalar Pathe’ even when she did not know the language well. She had to learn it hard and quick.^{[citation needed]}

She worked as the Calcutta correspondent of the weekly journal of Bombay the ''Blitz'', from 1952 to 1962. She has been, arguably, called the first woman journalist of India.^{[citation needed]}

She headed the board that published the CPI's mouthpiece, Kalantar for several years. and was an active member of the party. She headed State Women's Commission until 2000. She documented her life, the political upheavals and the shaping of women's movements of her time in great detail in a memoir, ''In Retrospect. War-time Memories and Thoughts on Women's Movement.''^[6][1][2]