Devaki Jain Biography 
Devaki Jain is an Indian economist and writer from Mysore, Karnataka. She is best known for her work towards the field of feminist economics. Government of India honoured her with Padma Bhusan in 2006, for her contributions towards social justice and the empowerment of women. She is the wife of Lakshmi Chand Jain, a Gandhian activist and social worker who participated in freedom struggle movement. Government of India posthumously honoured him with Padma Vibhushan in 2011. But as he was against the concept to receive such honours, his family declined it. He was also a recipient of 1989 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.
Devaki Jain hails from Mysore, Karnataka. She was born in the year 1933 as the daughter of M. A. Sreenivasan, a civil servant who has served as the Diwan of the princely state of Gwalior during British rule in India. Her brother late M. A. Parthasarathy was a former Chairman of the Bangalore Urban Arts Commission. Devaki married Lakshmi Chand Jain, a social worker and their son Sreenivasan Jain is a journalist working for NDTV since 1995. He also briefly served as the Managing Editor of NDTV's business channel, NDTV Profit.
Devaki Jain’s school education was completed at different convents. Later she graduated in St Anne's College, Oxford, and taught economics at Delhi University for many years. She also authored many books, mostly based on feminism. Women in India is her acclaimed work. She has been influenced by Gandhian principles too. Jain was the founder director of the Institute of Social Studies Trust (ISST) in New Delhi. She has served on Chair of the Advisory Committee on Gender for the United Nations Centre in Asia-Pacific, and has extensively travelled in many countries.
Published: October 30, 2018
Updated: October 30, 2018
