Maharani Chimnabai II (1872 – 23 August 1958) was a queen and the second wife Maharaja
Sayajirao Gaekwad of the
princely state of
Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...
, Gujarat,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
. She is the author of the treatise ''
The position of Women in Indian Life'' (1911), and was the first president of the
All India Women's Conference
The All India Women's Conference (AIWC) is a non-governmental organisation ( NGO) based in Delhi. It was founded in 1927 by Margaret Cousins in order to improve educational efforts for women and children and has expanded its scope to also tack ...
(AIWC) in 1927–1928, as well as the president of the
National Council of Women in India in 1928–1937.
Biography
Shrimant Gajarabai became Chimnabai II upon marrying
Sayajirao Gaekwad in 1885.
A progressive woman, she worked toward education for girls, abolishing the purdah system and child marriage, and became the first president of the AIWC in 1927.
She is the author of the treatise ''The position of Women in Indian Life'' (1911).
Her daughter
Indira Devi
Indira Devi (born as Indira Raje; 19 February 1892 – 6 September 1968) was the Maharani of the princely state of Cooch Behar State, Cooch Behar, British India. She was born a princess of Baroda State, Baroda as the daughter of Maharaja Sayaji ...
became the consort of
Jitendra Narayan, Maharajah of
Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar (), also known as Koch Bihar, is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal and it stands on bank of the Torsa river. The city is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. During the British Raj, Cooch Behar was the seat of the ...
.
Works
*
References
Further reading
*
Moore, Lucy (2004) ''Maharanis: the lives and times of three generations of Indian princesses''. London: Viking
*
{{Authority control
1872 births
1958 deaths
Baroda State
Indian female royalty
19th-century Indian women
19th-century Indian people
20th-century Indian women writers
20th-century Indian writers
Writers from British India