DHYASPARVA

THE TALE OF TWELVE SPIRITS, WHO FOUGHT WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT AGAINST THE MANY ATROCITIES THAT WOMEN HAD TO FACE. EACH FOUGHT A DIFFERENT BATTLE, NEVERTHELESS, THEY ALL HAD TO BEAR THE CONSEQUENCES. SIX OF THESE WOMEN WERE BORN IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY WHILE SIX OF THEM WERE BORN IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY. MAA ANNAPURNADEVI WAS FROM UTTAR PRADESH. SHILAVATI KETKAR WAS A FOREIGNER WHO EMBRACED HINDUISM AND THE REMAINING TEN WERE THE DAUGHTERS OF MAHARASTHRA. RAMABAI RANADE, BAYA KARVE, PARVATIBAI ATHAVALE, PARVATIBAI THOMBARE, AND ANANDI JOSHI HAD TO FACE LOT MANY ATROCITIES. ANANDI COULD NOT SERVE THE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF HER UNTIMELY DEATH. THE OTHERS SERVED THE PEOPLE TILL THEIR LAST BREATH. MALATIBAI WAS A SOCIAL WORKER AND WRITER. KUSUMAVATI WENT ALONE TO ENGLAND FOR FURTHER EDUCATION. SHE WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE THE CHAIRPERSON OF SAHITYA SAMMELAN. KAMALA BHAGWAT-SOHONI WAS THE FIRST INDIAN SCIENTIST. EXCEPT FOR HER TEACHER, NONE TREATED HER AS EQUAL. 155 RESEARCH PAPERS ARE TO HER CREDIT. MRINAL GORE WAS FAMOUS AS THE `WATER LADY`. SHE WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL HUMAN BEING WHO DID NOT MISUSE ANY SINGLE RUPEE BUT GOT SIX THOUSAND HOUSES BUILT FOR THE POOR PEOPLE IN MUMBAI. SHE PREFERRED TO REMAIN IN A RENTED HOUSE THROUGHOUT HER LIFE. MAA ANNAPURNADEVI WAS THE WIFE OF THE FAMOUS SITAR PLAYER RAVI SHANKAR. BY ALL MEANS, SHE WAS A FAR MORE BETTER ARTIST THAN HER HUSBAND. THE MALE EGO COMPELLED HER TO TAKE AN OATH THAT SHE WOULD NEVER PLAY SITAR OUTSIDE HER HOUSE. ALL THESE EXCLUSIVE WOMEN MAINTAINED THEIR STATURE OF BEING A HOUSEWIFE AND YET THEY LEFT THEIR MARK ON MANKIND. THE AUTHOR WAS IMPRESSED BY THE NOBLE WORK DONE BY THESE TWELVE WOMEN WHICH HAS BEEN PORTRAYED BEAUTIFULLY IN THIS BOOK.