Maniben Kara (1905-1979) was an Indian social worker and trade unionist. She was a founder member of the

Hind Mazdoor Sabha The Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) was formed by the Socialists in 1948 but has little real connection with the Socialist Party. It is one of the least political and most pragmatic trade-union federations in India. The HMS is affiliated with the Int ...

and served as its president. She was honoured by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

in 1970 with

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.

Early life

Born in 1905 in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

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 ...

(now

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

) in a middle-class family to an

Arya Samaj Arya Samaj () is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda Saraswati founded the samaj in the 1870s. Arya Samaj was the first Hindu ...

member, Maniben Kara did her schooling at St. Columba High School, Gamdevi, Mumbai and secured a diploma in Social science from the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

Career

Returning to India in 1929, she got involved with the Independence movement, founded ''Seva Mandir'' and a printing press and published ''Independent India'', a nationalist publication for the Indian revolutionary, M. N. Roy. Later, she was known to have been influenced by Narayan Malhar Joshi, one of the early leaders of the

All India Trade Union Congress The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) is the oldest trade union federation in India. It is associated with the Communist Party of India. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, AITUC had a membership of 14.2 mil ...

, and started involving in trade union activism. Her area of operations was at the slums of Mumbai, the dwelling place of many of the conservancy workers of the Bombay Improvement Trust. She established a Mothers' Club and a Healthcare Centre and spread the message of hygiene and literacy among the sul dwellers. Later she started social organization called ;'' Seva Mandir'' which was later merged with NGO called ''Bhangini Samaj'' The next stage of her work started with organizing workers' unions at Mumbai port and dockyard which later expanded to cover the tailors and textile workers. She joined the

, the trade union arm of the

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

, and led several labour strikes which led to her arrest and solitary confinement in 1932. After Formation of Congress Ministries in 1937,

and Indian National Congress drifted apart. Maniben was member of ''Royis Party'' led by M N Roy. Royst Party Started New central Trade Union Organization named ''Indian Federation of Labour (IFL).'' She continued her activities through the days of

Indian freedom struggle The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

and was nominated to the

Central Legislative Assembly The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Indian Legislature, the legislature of British India. It was created by the Government of India Act 1919, implementing the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. It was also sometimes calle ...

in 1946, entrusted with the responsibility of the labour ministry. Post Independence, After Partition IFL joined

. She was a key member when the

was formed in 1948 and was also involved with the

All India Railwaymen's Federation The All India Railwaymen's Federation (AIRF) is the largest trade union of Indian Railways workers with a membership of 1.4 million. AIRF was founded on 16 February 1925.. It is affiliated with the socialist trade union centre Hind Mazdoor Sabh ...

and was its former president. She was also a founding member of the

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 whe ...

(ICFTU) and was involved with government committees such as National Committee on the Status of Women and other government initiatives. Maniben Kara, who never contested in a political election, was honoured by the

with the civilian award of

in 1970. Nine years later, she died, at the age of 74.

honoured her by establishing an institute in her name, the Maniben Kara Institute (MKI), in 1980. The Western Railways Union started a trust in her honour, the Maniben Kara Foundation, and maintains the Maniben Kara Foundation Hall, in

Grant Road Grant or Grants may refer to: People * Grant (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Grant (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters ** Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the 18th president of the U ...

area in Mumbai.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kara, Maniben Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work 1905 births 1979 deaths Indian independence activists from Maharashtra Trade unionists from Maharashtra Politicians from Mumbai Indian women trade unionists 20th-century Indian women scientists 20th-century Indian educational theorists 20th-century Indian women educational theorists Women in Maharashtra politics 20th-century Indian politicians 20th-century Indian women politicians Social workers from Maharashtra Women educators from Maharashtra Educators from Maharashtra 20th-century Indian educators 20th-century Indian women educators

Early life

Career

See also

References