Shreemati Rasasundari (1810–1899) was a 19th-century

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

writer. She is notable for her autobiography, which provides a rare insight into the life of a 19th-century Bengali housewife.

Early life

Rasasundari was born in March 1810 in

Pabna District Pabna District () is a district in west central Bangladesh. It is a geographically and economically important district. Its administrative capital is the eponymous Pabna town. The main five rivers of this district are: Padma, Jamuna, Baral, Atra ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

, East India Company ruled India. She self-educated herself at home, but only to a limited extent. She married Sitanath Sarkar when she was 12 in 1822. Her husband was a

Zamidar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous Indian feudalism, feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian language, Persian was the offi ...

in Ramdia,

Faridpur District Faridpur District () is a district in south-central Bangladesh. It is a part of Dhaka Division. It is bounded by the Padma River to the northeast. The district was named for its headquarters, the city of Faridpur, Bangladesh, Faridpur, which its ...

. Her mother-in-law and three widowed sister-in laws lived with them. Her mother-in-law was particularly fond of her.

Career

Rasasundari was a deeply religious women. She had limited literacy. She got her chance to learn when her husband bought a handwritten copy of the religious text

Chaitanya Bhagavata Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata () is a hagiography of Caitanya Mahāprabhu written by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura (1507–1589 CE). It was the first full-length work regarding Chaitanya Mahaprabhu written in Bengali language and documents his early lif ...

. She tried to read from the Chaitanya Bhagavata and using her limited knowledge taught herself how to read at 25. She learned how to write when she was 50, with the support of one of her sons. Her husband, Sitanath Sarkar, died when she was 59, leaving her a widow. She found herself with free time and started writing her autobiography. In 1886 she published her autobiography ''Amar Jibon'' (my life). Her autobiography focused on her and her role in the family. She depicts the role of women in Bengali society and how they were bound by their duties to their families through writing about her own life. She wrote about having to eat after making sure everyone in the household had eaten and despite having servants was expected to do household chores. She added more to a second edition of her autobiography which was published in 1898. The book depicted her attempt to shape her life and the intense societal pressures faced by Bengali women.

Death

Rasasundari died in 1899.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasasundari, Shreemati 1810 births 1899 deaths People from the Bengal Presidency Writers from British India People from Pabna District