Vina Mazumdar Biography 
Vina Mazumdar was a feminist, educationist and left wing activist from Bengal. She is widely regarded as a pioneer in woman’s education in India. One of the leading figures of Indian women movement, she urged for the importance of educating girl children at a time when it was considered as a taboo in Indian society. She was the niece of the noted historian R.C. Majumdar. Vina excelled in academics as well, and completed D.Phil. in 1962 from Oxford University. Vina also taught at different colleges and universities. She was the founder director of Centre for Women's Development Studies (CWDS), New Delhi which she established in the year 1980. She also published a few memoirs.
She was born in Kolkata in 1927. Her father was an engineer. She studied at Women’s College Banaras Hindu University followed by Asutosh College, Kolkata. Since college days she was involved with activism and urged for women’s right for education. She became the secretary of the Ashutosh College Girls Students Union. Once she held a meeting and recommended expansion the inheritance rights for daughters through crucial Hindu Law Reform, while at college. After Indian independence she moved to Oxford where she completed her graduation and years later PhD too.
After graduation she returned to India where she started her profession as a lecturer of Political Science in Patna University. She continued with her activities and got elected as the first Secretary of the Patna University Teachers' Association. Later she taught at different universities. She was Member Secretary for the Committee on the Status of Women in India during 1971 -1974 followed by the Director, Programme of Women's Studies, Indian Council of Social Science Research from 1975 to 1980. Later she served many elite positions of the organizations involved with women activism. A pioneer of women’s studies movement in India, she passed away in New Delhi on 30 May 2013.
Published: N/A
Updated: April 03, 2016
