Mary Clubwala Jadhav

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(1909–1975) was an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

philanthropist. She founded many

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and across India, and is often credited with setting up the oldest organized social-work bodies in the country. Her organization ''Guild of Service'' operates more than a dozen units related to

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...

s, female literacy, the care and rehabilitation of the disabled, etc.

Early life

Mary was born in 1909 in

Ootacamund Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and ...

in the then Madras Presidency to Rustom Patel and Allamai, member of the 300-strong

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

community of Madras city. She was schooled in Madras and married Nogi Clubwala at the age of 18. They had a son, Khusro, in 1930. Nogi Clubwala died due to an illness in 1935. After this she devoted herself to social work. She later remarried to Major Chandrakant K Jadhav, an Indian army officer who was also working in the same areas of social work.

Activities

In 1942, with World War II raging, Clubwala founded the Indian Hospitality Committee with helpers drawn mostly from the Guild of Service. A large number of Indian troops were stationed in and around Madras and they had very few amenities. Mrs. Clubwala persuaded women from all communities and walks of life to join in the effort to organise mobile canteens, hospital visits, diversional therapy and entertainment programmes. The public donated generously to the War Fund started by the Hospitality Committee which continued its efforts after the War by helping ex-servicemen and their families rehabilitate themselves. The victorious 14th Army presented Mary a Japanese sword in appreciation of her tremendous efforts. Mrs. Clubwala was called "the Darling of the Army" by General Cariappa. She started Madras School of Social work in 1952, the first school of social work in South India and second in India (after Tata Institute of Social Sciences- Mumbai). She was appointed Sheriff of Madras in succession to Mr. R. E. Castell for one year in 1956. She also honored the Duke of Edinburgh on his visit to Madras (now

) in 1961.

Awards

*Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) ( 1941 New Year Honours) *

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

(1955) *

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

(1968) *

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

, the second highest civilian honor of India (1975).

References

External links

Guild of Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jadhav, Mary Clubwala Politicians from Chennai Sheriffs of Madras Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in social work Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in social work Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work Members of the Order of the British Empire 1909 births Women sheriffs Social workers 1975 deaths Parsi people Women in Tamil Nadu politics Indian women philanthropists 20th-century Indian politicians People from Ooty 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian educators Educators from Tamil Nadu Women educators from Tamil Nadu Social workers from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian philanthropists 20th-century women educators 20th-century women philanthropists