Mira Rani Devi

Mira Rani Devi
Born	16 November 1929 Madaripur, British India (now Madaripur, Bangladesh)
Died	25 June 2009 (aged 79) Bangalore, Karnartaka, India
Nationality	Indian
Ethnicity	Bengali
Occupation	Writer, Educator, Reformist
Known for	social reformer, Soaring High

Mira Rani Devi (16 November 1929 – 25 June 2009), an Indian author and reformer, was born in Madaripur and raised later on in Faridpur district town. She was born into the aristocratic Dasgupta (Madgullah-Sharma-Dasgupta) family of Madaripur and lived there until India's independence. Later she moved the Kolkata and brought up her son there. She was fond of T.S. Elliot and Rabindranath Tagore and studied and translated their works. She was related to by her mother's side to Keshub Chandra Sen and Suniti Devi.

Early life

Mira Rani Devi was born into the Noble Dasgupta family of Madaripur with her mother, Shuhashini Devi, coming from the family of Ishaan Chandra Sen. She lived in the family seat until her father, Gangachran Dasgupta, decided to move the family to Calcutta. Upon moving, the family lost all there estates due to India being divided from Bangladesh. Due to this event, Mira Rani Devi had to quit her M.A. and start teaching English Literature. During these years,she founded the All Bengal Teachers Association - a teacher's movement. She also translated works of Joseph Stalin in Bengali during this time. As a teacher she enjoyed the love and respect of the students and the colleagues. She soon got married. During this period, she had a son, Rathi Dasgupta, with her husband, whom she divorced after the birth of the child. When her son got married to a young woman, she retired and moved with them. First they moved to Warrington, England. However, later the moved to Bangalore, Karnartaka, India.^[1]

Later life

After her retirement she translated Tagore songs and poems in English. The book was forewoded by Prof. William Radice and entitled Soaring High. ^[2]

Death

Mira Rani Devi, died of cardiac arrest on 25 June 2009.

Legacy

Mira Rani Devi is remembered for her aid in helping English speakers read the poetry of Tagore through her book. She is also remembered for championing teacher's rights in West Bengal. ^[3]

References

1. "(1929-2009) - Symbol of Truth and Self Reliance - Home". Miradasgupta.ortg. Retrieved 2015-06-13.
2. "Poems - Mira Dasgupta (1929-2009) - Symbol of Truth and Self Reliance". Miradasgupta.org. Retrieved 2015-06-13.
3. https://web.archive.org/20150615083141/http://miradasgupta.org/life-and-works.htmll. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)