Manasi Pradhan (born 4 October 1962) is an Indian

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and 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 centuries. In some countr ...

activist and author. She is the founder of

Honour for Women National Campaign The Honour for Women National Campaign is a nationwide movement in India to end violence against women. The movement was founded by women’s rights activist Manasi Pradhan in the year 2009. Launched under the aegis of OYSS Women, the moveme ...

, a nationwide movement 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 the highest civilian hon ...

by the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) 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, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...

. Along with

Mary Prema Pierick Sister Mary Prema Pierick, M.C. (born 13 May 1953), is a German-born Indian Catholic religious sister and the former Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity of Calcutta, India, the religious institute founded by the Saint Mother Ter ...

, global head of the

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity ( la, Congregatio Missionariarum a Caritate) is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as ...

, 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 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 skirt from dragging. ...

'' 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 simply 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 ...

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a 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 world's second-oldest university in contin ...

invited her to address the union. She is the founder of

Nirbhaya Vahini Nirbhaya Vahini is a volunteer unit of the Honour for Women National Campaign. It was founded in January 2014 to help mobilize public opinion and launch a sustained campaign for the implementation of the movement’s Four-Point charter of demand. ...

, 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 film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...

(Censor Board) for India and Inquiry Committee of the

National Commission for Women The National Commission for Women (NCW) is the 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 the I ...

. Born to a poor family in a remote village of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

, she fought successfully the widely prevalent social

taboo A taboo or tabu 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, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannic ...

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 no ...

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 block of Khordha district,

. 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 of 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 gir ...

was considered a major

in most rural areas of Banapur 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, 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 () is a coastal city and a 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 capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as ''S ...

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 loanwoards from Desaj ...

from

Utkal University Utkal University (UU) is a Public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha district, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in Odisha, the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating university. The pre ...

. She obtained

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...

from G.M. Law College,

Career

She worked with the finance department, Govt. of

and Andhra Bank 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, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets v ...

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. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious ...

training camps,

legal awareness Legal awareness, sometimes called public legal education or legal literacy, is the empowerment of individuals regarding issues involving the law.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 ...

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

In November 2009, she launched the

, a nationwide movement to end

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against woman, women or Girl, girls, usually by Man, men or Boy, boys. Such ...

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 is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to a society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them. Etymology The term "public opinion" was derived from the French ', which was first use ...

and sustained campaigning for

institutional Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...

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 governments of India. In the same year, it launched

, consisting of over 10,000

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

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

headed by Manasi Pradhan released a four-point charter of demand for all state governments of India. The charter forms a

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over ti ...

of the movement and has led several state governments to make suitable amendments. # Complete clamp down on

liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or ha ...

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 ...

training for women as part of educational curriculum # Special protection force for women security in every district # Fast-track court and special investigating & 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. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

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 Social workers 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