Sarla Bedi, née Kapila, (4 April 192515 November 2013), was an Indian priestess who spent her life living in three continents. She established the

Arya Samaj Arya Samaj ( hi, आर्य समाज, lit=Noble Society, ) is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the san ...

, a Hindu reform movement, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

, Canada and promoted social causes.

Biography

Bedi was born Kapila in

Sahnewal Sahnewal is a city and a municipal council in Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab. The city is situated on National Highway No. 44, between Khanna and Ludhiana. Demographics At the 2001 India census, Sahnewal had a population of 1 ...

, India. At a young age she moved with her parents to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, which was then a British colony, at the time of global economic depression. The family lived in a "segregated colony." She had five brothers. At age 18, her ambition to further her college education in law in England did not fructify as her parents were sick. To sustain her large family and educate her brothers she took up a job as a teacher in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city prope ...

. She also learned painting and developed oratorical skills with her participation in debates and lectures on

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

. She married Gobind Bedi in 1946; together they promoted social issues among the Indian diaspora. They had four children, sons Nilam, Deepak and Shalin, and daughter Sheetal. Her husband died in 2008. She also worked with the Arya Samaj at Nairobi. Following an upheaval in political conditions in East Africa, particularly in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

where Indians in that country were persecuted, Bedi emigrated to

, Canada in 1972. In Toronto, along with her husband, she established Arya Samaj, an offshoot of the Hindu reform movement that started in India in 1875; through this institution they facilitated a large number of immigrants to become established in Canada. In 1976, Sarla became a priestess and was the first female Hindu priest in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. She promoted

Hindu culture Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global pop ...

as a priestess by conducting the Hindu religious rites of fire sacrifice, baptisms, weddings and funerals for the Indian diaspora. She was instrumental in raising funds for the institution. As a result, the institution's own building was built in 1996 in Markham as a Vedic Cultural Centre. She died at the age of 88 on 15 November 2013, in Toronto.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedi, Sarla 1925 births 2013 deaths People from Ludhiana district Punjabi people Arya Samajis Indian emigrants to Canada Canadian Hindus Indian religious leaders Female religious leaders Hindu female religious leaders Indian expatriates in Kenya