Ashoka Gupta - freedom fighter and social activist

November 14, 2021

A notable social worker and freedom fighter Ashoka Gupta (nee Sen, November 1912 – 8^th July 2008) was the founder of Mahila Seva Samity, member of the All India Women's Conference and president of Indian Society for Sponsorship and Adoption.
She was the recipient of several prestigious awards including honorary D.Litt. from Jadavpur University and the Jamnalal Bajaj Award in 2007 in recognition of her work for the cause of women and children.
Early life - Gupta was the fourth of six children and the second daughter to Kiran Chandra Sen, a lawyer and Jyotirmoyee Devi, a writer whose stories and essays featured in contemporary Bengali journals. She lost her father at the age of six to a contagious influenza epidemic following the First World War. Her maternal grandfather Shri Abinash Chandra Sen, a cabinet minister to the Maharaja of Jaipur took over his grandchildren’s responsibility.
Her formal education began at Indraprastha School in 1919 upon the insistence of her mother, at a time when girls going to school was rare. She then studied at Duff school and St. Margeret’s School in Kolkata. She stood first among the girls in the matriculation examination receiving letter marks in Maths, Bengali and Sanskrit. She graduated from Bethune College with honours in Mathematics.
At the age of 20, she was married to Saibal Gupta, an I.C.S. officer and accompanied him to Faridpur, Dhaka, Krishnanagar, Rajshahi, Bankura and Jessore. She adjusted beautifully to the East Bengal joint family she was married into, while retaining her West Bengal cultural identity.
While staying at Dhaka, Gupta became associated with women organizations such as AIWC, Ananda Ashram, National Conference of Women in India (NCWI) and Dipali Sangha.
Since 1936 Gupta was an active member of the All India Women's Conference and was monumental in setting up branches of AIWC and various welfare organizations. During the Bengal famine of 1943, she took part in relief work in Bankura. In 1945, she moved to Chittagong with her husband and in the following year during the Noakhali genocide, she led a team of relief workers on behalf of the Chittagong branch of the AIWC, for rescue and relief operations in Noakhali during communal riot. She dedicated her efforts towards refugee rehabilitation, child literacy and upliftment of rural women and tribals.
She was the chairperson of the West Bengal State Social Welfare Advisory Board from 1955 to 1959. In 1959, Gupta became a member of the Central Social Welfare Board upon nomination by Bidhan Chandra Roy and Durgabai Deshmukh. In1964,
She took part in relief work among the Bengali Hindu refugees at Mana and other camps in the Dandakaranya.
She was the State Commissioner (Guides) from 1956 to 1967 and the State Chief Commissioner of The Bharat Scouts and Guides from 1968 to 1974. This gave her the opportunity to visit and work at US. She also visited Brazil and Japan to review the working of Youth Club programme.
She was a Fellow of the Senate of the University of Calcutta from 1948 to 1953.
She was associated with the Palli Sangathan Vibhag of Vishwabharati University from 1956. In 1965, She became a member of the Executive Council of the University and remained there till 1973.
At an early age she was influenced by the role of Gandhi during the Khilafat movement. She attended the historic congress session where Subhash Chandra Bose was elected as the president in 1938 and the events that followed thereafter.
Her publications based on her life include ‘A fighting spirit’ and ‘Noakhalir Durjoger Dine’.
Her life exemplifies the perfect balance she achieved in phenomenal community service and raising up her four children who became distinguished individuals later on.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka_Gupta

Excerpts from writings of Mrs. Kasturi Gupta Menon (daughter of Ashoka Gupta), August 2008

Pictures taken at Bethune College on 9.11.21 to mark the occasion to honor Late Ashoka Gupta. The event was marked by the donation of her awards, articles and financial grant by her family members.

(Picture courtesy Dr. Rupa Pal, Dept of Mathematics)