Sarala Devi
| Sarala Devi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | ସରଳା ଦେବୀ |
| Born |
9 August 1904 Narilo village, Orissa Division, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died | 4 October 1986 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse(s) | Bhagirathi Mohapatra (m. 1917) |
| Children | 1 son |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Balamukunda Kanungo (uncle) |
Sarala Devi (9 August 1904 – 4 October 1986) was an Indian independence activist, feminist, social activist, and writer. She was the first Odia woman to join the Non-cooperation movement in 1921. In independent India, she became the first woman to be elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly. She was also the first female speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, the first woman Director of Cuttack Co-operative Bank, first female Senate member of Utkal University, and the first Odia woman delegate of the Indian National Congress.
Sarala Devi was born on 9 August 1904 in Narilo village, near Balikuda, in what was then the Orissa Division of the Bengal Presidency (now in Jagatsinghpur district, Odisha) to an affluent Zamindar family. Her father was Basudev Kanungo and her mother was Padmavati Devi. She was adopted and raised by her father's elder brother Balamukunda Kanungo, a Deputy Collector. Sarala received her primary education in Banki, where her uncle was posted. Women had no access to higher education, at the time, so her uncle hired the services of a home tutor. Sarala learned Bengali, Sanskrit, Odia and basic English from her tutor. She lived with her uncle until the age of 13. While in Banki, Sarala was inspired by stories of Suka Devi, the queen of Banki, to join the independence movement. She married Bhagirathi Mohapatra in 1917, and the latter joined the Indian National Congress in 1918. Sarala herself joined the Congress in 1921, following Mahatma Gandhi's first visit to Orissa.
She was the Secretary of Utkal Sahitya Samaj at Cuttack from 1943 to 1946.
Sarala wrote 30 books and 300 essays.
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