Mira Datta Gupta ( bn, মীরা দত্ত গুপ্ত; 5 October 1907 – 18 January 1983) was a freedom fighter,

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

, educationist, politician and activist on women's issues in Calcutta, India. She was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Bengal and then West Bengal for twenty years from 1937 to 1957, firstly representing Women's constituency from 1937 to 1952, and then Bhowanipore from 1952 to 1957. She was the first MLA from Bhowanipore.

Political career

She was a member of the Indian Congress Party between 1937 and 1946. She was elected four times (1937, 1942, 1946 and 1951) as Member of the State Legislative Assembly of Bengal, later renamed West Bengal. She was offered the post of Deputy Minister in the Cabinet of 1952 of the then Chief Minister, Bidhan Chandra Roy, which she declined.Key Highlights of General Elections 1951 to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal
Mira's reputation grew with her increasing involvement in the revolutionary movement. She was associated with Indian revolutionary groups, such as

Anushilan Anushilan Samiti ( bn, অনুশীলন সমিতি, , bodybuilding society) was an Indian fitness club, which was actually used as an underground society for anti-British revolutionaries. In the first quarter of the 20th century it su ...

, Jugantar and

Bengal Volunteers Bengal Volunteers Corps was an underground revolutionary group against the British rule of India. The group was functional from its inception in 1928 to the Indian independence. The beginning Subhas Chandra Bose organised a group of voluntee ...

. As a member of

she was the editor of the women's section of its magazine – ''Benu''. While, initially she was put in charge of the organisation's South Calcutta Women's group, she later moved into a low profile role, choosing to work for India's independence secretly. In those days she used to donate her entire salary towards India's freedom movement to her party Bengal Volunteers. Around this time she also provided a channel for information between the revolutionaries who had to remain under cover and other members of the party. She participated in one of the important meetings of Bengal Volunteers held at Baranagar near Kolkata to discuss the group's activities in Midnapore and other parts of the state. From 1933, the police grew suspicious of her activities and she was placed under constant surveillance. In 1938, many party members such as Bhavani Bhattacharya and Ujjala Mazumdar were arrested in connection with the shooting of Governor John Anderson in Darjeeling district. Mira was cross-examined by the police for many hours in connection with this case. At this stage her father sent her away from Calcutta for two years to ensure her personal safety. She was very actively involved in fund raising activities during the Quit India Movement of 1942. In 1946, she was jailed for her nationalist activities. After her released from prison she became one of the first members of Netaji

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperia ...

's Forward Bloc. She had a devoted following in the Ballygunge

Constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

, all along the southeastern environs of the city, and was known for her social commitment. During the devastating

Bengal Famine of 1943 The Bengal famine of 1943 was a famine in the Bengal province of British India (present-day Bangladesh, West Bengal and eastern India) during World War II. An estimated 0.8 to 3.8 million Bengalis perished, out of a population of 60.3 millio ...

, she, along with co-Congress workers played a leading role in organising relief for famine victims. Later, after independence, her many activities included relief activities for those affected by famines, floods, and also the rehabilitation of the homeless and economically weaker women.

Post-retirement

In her post-retirement years, she served as an honorary justice of peace in the juvenile court in Kolkata and was a member of the Board of Film Censors in West Bengal. In 1958 she joined the Indian goodwill mission to China and later visited Berlin, Copenhagen and Moscow to attend developmental, educational and women's conferences. She was also a member of the Calcutta University Senate and the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. She also contributed to the setting up of

Patha Bhavan, Kolkata Patha Bhavan () is a mixed medium independent co-educational day school in Kolkata, India, which is affiliated to the state secondary and higher secondary boards. It was established on 28 June 1965. History The school was named after the unive ...

, a school named after the university school in Santiniketan.

Death

She died of pneumonia on 18 January 1983, at the age of 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Datta Gupta, Mira 1907 births 1983 deaths All India Forward Bloc politicians Indian feminists Members of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Bethune College alumni University of Calcutta alumni University of Calcutta faculty Social workers Women in West Bengal politics 20th-century Indian educational theorists Indian women educational theorists Women scientists from West Bengal Politicians from Kolkata Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal Women Indian independence activists 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians Scholars from Kolkata Women educators from West Bengal Social workers from West Bengal 20th-century women educators