Durgabai Deshmukh
Lady Durgabai Deshmukh, mother of social service, toiled all through her life with a
single-minded devotion, and with an unshakeable faith towards universal justice and equal opportunity for the down trodden.
Born on 15th July, 1909, in a middle class Andhra family in Kakinada, Durgabai Deshmukh had a most successful, commendable and productive life to her credit. Perception, planning, performance, personal policy, public relations and public credibility are the pillars on which Durgabai worked. Durgabai, in her unique way demonstrated to the world that womankind, through co-operative endeavor, could achieve the vision of universal opportunity and justice for the future society. She was married to first finance minister Sir C D Deshmukh, who was also a Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
As a Member of Parliament she worked to set up a social welfare board in August 1953 to carry out programmes of educating, training, and rehabilitating needy women, children, and the disabled. Dr Durgabai Deshmukh was the founder of AMS institutions and other social welfare service organizations in India. She headed a crusade against illiteracy, ignorance, social injustice against women by establishing several institutions, in the field of Health, General Education and Nutrition.
No wonder, Durgabai received national and international appreciation for her contribution to social change in India, like the Paul G Hoffman Award and Padma Vibhushan. She was also affectionately called Mother of Social Service in India.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
