Manasi Pradhan (born 4 October 1962) is an Indian

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

activist and author. She is the founder of Honour for Women National Campaign, a nationwide

movement Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger co ...

to end violence against women in India. In 2014, she was conferred with Rani Laskhmibai

Stree Shakti Puraskar The Nari Shakti Puraskar () is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is presented by the presi ...

by the

president of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

. Along with Mary Prema Pierick, global head of the

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity () is a Catholic centralised religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. , it consisted o ...

, she won the 'Outstanding Women Award' in 2011. Pradhan is frequently featured by international publications and organizations. In 2016, the New York–based ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment or wire frame used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skir ...

'' named her among 20 most inspiring Feminists Authors and Activists. In 2017, the Los Angeles–based Welker Media Inc. named her among 12 most powerful feminist change makers. In 2018, the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest unive ...

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

invited her to address the union. She is the founder of Nirbhaya Vahini, Nirbhaya Samaroh and OYSS Women. She has served on the panel of

Central Board of Film Certification The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory Motion picture content rating system, film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of ...

(Censor Board) for India and Inquiry Committee of the

National Commission for Women The National Commission for Women (NCW) is a statutory body of the Government of India, generally concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting women. It was established on 31 January 1992 under the provisions of Nation ...

. Born to a poor family in a remote village of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

, she fought successfully the widely prevalent social

taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

against educating women, walked 15 km daily amidst hilly terrain and swamp to the only high school in the entire region to emerge as first woman

matriculate Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used now ...

of her village and subsequently the first woman law graduate of her region. The life story of Manasi Pradhan has been adopted as documentaries in United States and Israel.

Early life and education

Pradhan was born to a poor family in a remote village called Ayatapur in

Banapur Banapur is a town and a Notified Area Council in Khordha district in the state of Odisha, India. The town is named after the King Banasura of Lord Shri Krishna era (as the epic tells). Banasura, a demon-king who is said to have ruled over thi ...

block of

Khordha district Khordha district is an administrative division of the state of Odisha, India. It was formed on April 1, 1993, by the division of former Puri District into Puri, Khordha and Nayagarh districts. In the year 2000 the district name was changed to K ...

. She was the eldest among two daughters and a son born to Hemalata Pradhan and Godabarish Pradhan. Her father was a farmer and mother a house wife.

Female education Female education is a catch-all term for a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...

was considered a major

in most rural areas of

then. Girls were rarely allowed to attend high school. After completing her middle school in the village, there was strong pressure to end her studies. Further, there was no high school in the nearby areas. She walked 15 km daily, amidst hilly terrain and

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

, to the only high school in the entire region, to emerge as the first woman to pass high school examination in her village. After completing her schooling from Patitapaban High School in Gambharimunda, the family shifted to

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

for her college education. With little earning from the village farmland, it became difficult to sustain. Soon after passing the intermediate examination, she had to work to support her family and her studies. She earned a B.A. in economics from Government Women's College,

, and M.A. in

Odia literature Odia literature is literature written in the Odia language, mostly from the Indian state of Odisha. The modern Odia language is mostly formed from Tadbhava words with significant Sanskrit (Tatsama) influences, along with loanwords from Des ...

from

Utkal University Utkal University (UU) is a public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. The university was established in 1943 and was operating from Ravenshaw College ...

. She obtained

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from G.M. Law College,

Career

She worked with the finance department, Govt. of

and

Andhra Bank Andhra Bank was a medium-sized public sector bank (PSB) of India, with a network of 2885 branches, 4 extension counters, 38 satellite offices and 3798 automated teller machines (ATMs) as of 31 March 2019. During 2011–12, the bank entered th ...

for a short period but left both to pursue her own passion. In October 1983, at the age of 21, she began her own printing business and a literary journal. In few years time, the business grew exponentially, putting her in the league of few successful women entrepreneurs of her time.

Activism

In 1987, she founded OYSS Women. The initial motive was to help girl students achieve higher education and develop them as future leaders in the society. OYSS Women has been organizing

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

workshops, education and

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...

training camps,

legal awareness Legal awareness, sometimes called public legal education or legal literacy, is the empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a respons ...

and

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...

camps, nurturing thousands of young women as prospective leaders in their chosen field. Apart from the above, the organization undertakes numerous activities and events and is widely credited for pioneering contribution in empowering women. The organization is also spearheading the Honour for Women National Campaign.

Honour for Women National Campaign

In November 2009, she launched the Honour for Women National Campaign, a nationwide movement to end

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence (GBV) or sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), violent, violence primarily committed by Man, men or boys against woman, women or girls. Such violence is often considered hat ...

in India. The movement has been instrumental in galvanizing the nation against women atrocities. The movement employs a multi-pronged strategy to fight the menace of

in India. It uses a plethora of vehicles i.e.

stall,

festival,

meets,

literature, audio-visual displays, street plays etc. to raise awareness on legal and institutional provisions to fight atrocities on women. On the other hand, it puts pressure on the state by mobilizing

public opinion Public opinion, or popular opinion, is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them. In the 21st century, public opinion is widely thought to be heavily ...

and sustained campaigning for

institutional An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

changes and correctional measures to contain

. In 2013, after a four-year long churning involving a series of national seminars, workshops and consultations involving stakeholders from across India, the movement came up with a detailed draft charting its fight to end

. In 2014, the movement released a Four-Point Charter of Demand for all

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

s of India. In the same year, it launched Nirbhaya Vahini, consisting of over 10,000

volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

s spread across India to mobilize

and engage in a sustained campaign for implementation of its four-point charter of demand.

Four-Point Charter of Demand

In 2014, the Honour for Women National Campaign headed by Manasi Pradhan released a four-point charter of demand for all

s of India. The charter forms a

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

of the movement and has led several

s to make suitable amendments. # Complete clamp down on

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

trade #

Self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...

training for women as part of educational curriculum # Special protection force for women security in every district # Fast-track court and special investigating and prosecuting wing for crime against women in every district.

Literary works

Manasi Pradhan is an acclaimed author and poet. Her fourth book ''Urmi-O-Uchchwas'' () has been translated into eight major

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

Personal life

Manasi Pradhan is a mother of

Baisali Mohanty Baisali Mohanty (born 5 August 1994) is an international diplomat and United Nations official, author, Indian classical dancer and analyst of foreign and public policy. She is a regular contributor on foreign policy and strategic affairs to se ...

(born on 5 August 1994 in

) who she gave birth to with Radha Binod Mohanty, a former chief electrical engineer and alumnus of the

Indian Institute of Technology The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) are a network of engineering and technology institutions in India. Established in 1950, they are under the purview of the Ministry of Education of the Indian Government and are governed by the Instit ...

References

External links

thestatesman.com

presidentofindia.nic.in

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pradhan, Manasi 1962 births Living people People from Khordha district Indian women activists Indian civil rights activists Indian women poets Indian feminists Indian women's rights activists Indian human rights activists Indian social reformers Activists from Odisha Odia-language writers Women writers from Odisha People from Odisha People from Puri district 20th-century Indian women writers Writers from Odisha 20th-century Indian poets Social workers from Odisha Women educators from Odisha Educators from Odisha Nari Shakti Puraskar winners Women civil rights activists