Smt. Phulrenu Guha

GUHA, SHRIMATI PHULRENU, M.A., D.Litt. [Congress (I)—West Bengal, Contai, 1984] d. of late Shri Surendra Nath Datta; b. at Calcutta, August 13, 1912; ed. at Calcutta University, Calcutta and Sorbonne; m. late Dr. Bires Chandra Guha, July 17, 1943; Political and Social Worker; previously associated with Jugantar Revolutionary Party; Lecturer, (i) London University for one year, and (ii) Women’s College for 4 years; Headmistress in Girls School for 14 years; Union Minister of State for Ministry of Social Welfare, 1967-70; Member, All India Congress Committee; Secretary, (i) Student Fund, Government Girls’ High School, Sylhet, 1924-27, (ii) Night School, 1928-30, (iii) Slum School, 1932-34, (iv) Medical Relief Society, 1938-44, (v) Azad Hind Relief Committee (Women’s Section), 1943-44, (vi) Save the Children Committee (India) 1946-53, (vii) United Council of Relief and Welfare, Bengal Branch, 1950-63; (viii) All India Women’s Conference 1952-53, (ix) West Bengal Social Welfare Board, 1954-61; Joint Secretary, Indian Students Association, Paris, 1936-37; Member, (i) Standing Committee, All India Women’s Conference since 1943, (ii) Save the Children Committee, 1943-46, (iii) Board of Secondary Education, West Bengal, 1950-52, (iv) Film Censor Board (Regional), 1951-53, (v) West Bengal Women’s Food Council, 1951-53, (vi) Indian Council for Children Welfare since 1953, (vii) West Bengal Council for Child Welfare, 1954-58, (viii) Committee on Women’s Education, 1957-58, (ix) Council for Women’s Education, 1957-58, (x) Secondary Board of Education, West Bengal, 1957-59. (xi) Committee on Integration of Training of Gram Sevikas and School Teachers, 1958-59, (xii) Advisory Committee of National Women’s Small Savings, 1958-60, (xiii) Social Welfare Committee, Government of West Bengal, 1958-60, (xiv) State Vagrancy Advisory Board, West Bengal, 1958-67, (xv) Faculty of Education, Calcutta University, 1959-61, (xvi) State Council of Women’s Education, West Bengal, 1959-67, (xvii) State Family Planning Board, 1959-67, (xviii) Institute of Children’s Film, West Bengal since 1959, (xix) Central Advisory Committee of the Rural Housing Wing, National Buildings Organisation, 1963-66, (xx) Governing Body, Lady Irwin College, 1964-72, (xxi) Women’s Advisory Committee of National Cooperative Union, 1965-67, (xxii) Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, 1965-70, (xxiii) Standing Advisory Committee on Social Work Education and Training, University Grants Commission, 1970-72, (xxiv) Family Planning Board, 1970-73, (xxv) Governing Council and General Body, Central Cottage Industries Association, 1970-74, (xxvi) West Bengal Emporium, 1970-75, (xxvii) Central Social Welfare Board, 1970-76, (xxviii) Governing Body, Basanti Devi College, 1970-77, (xxix) State Planning Board, West Bengal, 1971, (xxx) Steering Group on Welfare of Backward Classes and Social Welfare, Planning Commission, Government of India, 1971-72, (xxxi) Steering Committee, Planning Commission, Government of India, 1971-72, (xxxii) Central Planning Advisory Board, 1971-73, (xxxiii) Governing Body, Charu Chandra College since 1971, (xxxiv) Indo-Soviet Cultural Society, West Bengal, 1972-78, (xxxv) National Committee for International Women’s Year, 1975, (xxxvi) West Bengal Committee for Women’s Year, 1975, (xxxvii) All Bengal Women’s Union, (xxxviii) West Bengal Peace Committee, (xxxix) National Peace Council, (xxxx) Indo-Soviet Cultural Association, (xxxxi) Children Board, West Bengal Government and (xxxxii) Adim Jati Seva Sangh; Organising Secretary, Save the Children Committee (India), 1954-65; Chairman, (i) Women’s Education Committee of the Board of Secondary Education, 1950-52, (ii) Women’s Small Savings Campaign, West Bengal, 1957-58, (iii) Secondary Board of Education, Women’s Committee, West Bengal, 1957-59, (iv) West Bengal Social Welfare Board, 1959-67, (v) State Family Planning Board, Group, 1959-67, (vi) Family Welfare Industrial Cooperative Society Ltd. for Women, 196I-78, (vii) Birla Planetarium Advisory Committee since 1962, (viii) Association for Social Health in India, West Bengal since 1963, (ix) Social Service Sub-Committee of, Indian Defence Aid Committee, West Bengal, 1965-69, (x) West Bengal Council for Child Welfare, 1965-70 and 1973-80, (xi) Mahila Sibir, Bangladesh Mukti Sangram Sahayak Committee, All India Congress Committee, 1971-72, (xii) Task force on Child Welfare Committee, Planning Commission, Government of India, 1971-72, (xiii) Women’s Group, Bangladesh Mukti Sangram Sahayak Committee, 1971-72, (xiv) National Forum of Women, West Bengal Branch, (xv) Centre for Women’s Development Study, New Delhi, (xvi) Committee on Status of Women in India (Government of India), 1972-75; General Secretary, (i) All India Women’s Conference, 1960-64, (ii) Social Service Sub-Committee of Indian Defence Aid Committee, West Bengal, 1963-65, (iii) Women’s Section, State Citizens’ Committee, 1963-65, (iv) Atis Dipankar Millennium Celebration Committee; President, (i) Karma Kutir since 1961, (ii) Indian Council for Child Welfare, 1970-73, (iii) All India Women Conference, Calcutta Branch, 1972-74, (iv) Sampradaye Birodhita Committee, West Bengal Branch (Communal Integration) since 1974, (v) Rani Jhansi Bahani, (vi) Indo-GDR Cultural Society, West Bengal Branch, (vii) Adim Jati Sevak Sangh, West Bengal Branch; Vice-President, (i) West Bengal Council for Child Welfare, 1958-65, (ii) All India Women’s Conference, 1966-68, (iii) Indo-GDR Association, (iv) International Children’s Year Association (Non-Government); Vice-Chairman, (i) West Bengal Social Welfare Board, 1957-59, (ii) Women’s Coordination Council, 1961-70, (iii) West Bengal Women’s Food Council since 1963, (iv) All Bengal Women’s Union, 1965-70; Member in Charge, All India Women’s Conference, 1965-71; Visitor, (i) Hospital, 1962-67, (ii) Jails, 1971-72; Patron, (i) All Bengal Women’s Union since 1971, (ii) Indian Committee for International Women’s Year, West Bengal Branch; Executive member, Indian Council for Child Welfare since 1966; Advisor, Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management since 1970; Convenor, (i) Refugee Committee, All India Congress Committee, 1970-72, (ii) Bangladesh Committee, All India Congress Committee, 1971; Working Chairman, (i) Indo-Soviet Cultural Association, West Bengal, (ii) National Integration and Democratic Rights, (iii) Bangladesh Maitri Samiti; Working President, Niraksharata Durikaran Samiti (Removal of illiteracy); Member, Rajya Sabha, 1964-70; connected with freedom movement; evaded arrest twice by going underground.

Favourite pastime and recreation:  Rabindra Sangeet, Travelling and Reading.

Special interests:  Development of women and children, improvement of Handicrafts.

Publications:  (I) The Role of Voluntary Organisations in Promotion of Nutrition to Pre-School Children (English), (2) Social Thoughts of Bengalees—From Raja Ram Mohan to Swami Vivekananda,—(Bengali), (3) Participation of Women in Economic Activity (Bengali), (4) Women and Society (Bengali) (5) Social Work—Nineteenth Century (Bengali) and (6) Some Sides of Bengalee Society in Nineteenth Century (Bengali).

Accomplishments:  Awarded Padma Bhusan in 1977.

Travels abroad:  U.K., Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Denmark Sweden, Norway, Burma, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, U.S.S.R., Finland, GDR, China, Bangladesh.

Permanent address:  55/5, Purna Das Road, Calcutta-700029.