Sasipada Banerji Biography 
Sasipada Banerji was a social worker, educationalist and leader of the Brahmo Samaj, best known for his fights for women’s rights and education. He lived during the period, 1840–1924. His first wife Rajkumari Banerji was a social worker and a philanthropist from West Bengal, who lived in the pre-independent era. She was the first Indian woman to visit England in 1871, and same year she gave birth to Albion Rajkumar Banerjee, during her stay at England. Their son Albion also earned fame in his field as a civil servant and administrator, and as a Diwan, he is credited with many developmental projects in Kochi and Mysore. Thus his family is related to Sir Krishna Govinda Gupta (his son’s father-in-law) and Atul Prasad Sen (his son’s sister-in-law’s husband).
Sasipada Banerji was born in 1840 at Baranagar near Kolkata. Rajkumari Banerji was only 13 years old when she married the social worker. Sasipada Banerji is credited to teaching his wedded wife who was illiterate before marriage, and later he supported her with whole heart for her efforts towards women’s education and her life as a social worker and philanthropist. But she was short-lived and lived only 29 years. Her social life began only after marriage. After her death in 1876, Sasipada Banerji remarried the following year.
As a social reformer, most of his works were through Brahmo Samaj which he joined in 1861. He stood for women's rights and education, promoted the establishment of schools to train women teachers, and he also promoted widow remarriage, which was a taboo to Indian society then. He set up many schools for girls and he along with Rajkumari made a shelter for homeless and poor women in their own house. Though he gained attention as a social worker, many of his ideas worked against him, and have been criticized.
Published: September 29, 2018
Updated: September 29, 2018
