Freedom fighter and social worker Shakuntala Choudhary passes away

Freedom fighter and social worker Shakuntala Choudhary passes away

Part of: GS-1: Modern Indian History; Important personalities

• A 102-year-old Gandhian social worker and freedom fighter
• Hailing from Assam’s Kamrup, she worked for the wellbeing of villagers, especially women and children, and was popularly known as ‘Shakuntala Baideo’.
• Earlier this year, she was named a Padma Shri award recipient by the Government of India.
• Had joined the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust (KGNMT) in 1947 in Assam. In Assam, this Trust is known as the Kasturba Ashram or the Sarania Ashram, which Gandhi inaugurated in 1946.
• She was a close associate of Vinayak Narahari ‘Vinoba’ Bhave, the man who started the Bhoodan Movement, and travelled with him to the rural parts of Assam and translated his lectures from Hindi to Assamese. She also led the Bhoodan Movement in Assam and was also associated with the ‘Ban Cow Slaughter Satyagraha’, which Bhave started in 1978. 
• Shakuntala Choudhary has also left her mark in the field of linguistics. She founded a monthly magazine ‘Asomiya Vishwa Nagari’ in Devanagari script to promote Devanagari. The magazine is still published, and it focuses on Gandhian ideals, thoughts, and spirituality.

News Source: PIB