Prabhavati Devi
Encyclopedia
Prabhavati Devi was at the forefront of freedom struggle in Bihar
. She was born in a reputed Kayastha family in Shrinagar now in Siwan
district in Bihar
to Brajkishore Prasad
and Phool Devi. Brajkishore Prasad was himself an ardent Gandhian perhaps the first Congressman in Bihar who had given up a lucrative legal practise to devote himself to freedom struggle.
She was married to Jayaprakash Narayan
who went off to the US to study Marxism
in Iowa
. She moved to Gandhi's ashram where she devoted herself completely to Kasturba Gandhi
who started regarding her as her daughter. She also built up a very close relationship with Kamala Nehru
and became her confidante. She also spent time in gaol on several occasions.
Kamala Nehru wrote several letters to her when she was having problems with the Nehru family.All the letters were returned to Indira Gandhi
by her husband following her death but a few somehow found their way into the press after Jayaprakash Narayan's death which demonstrate the ill treatment she received at the hands of the Nehru family as she came from a less suave background.
When her husband returned, he was regarded a revolutionary and this led to several differences with her because of her Gandhian orientation. Nevertheless they respected each other and jointly decided not to have any children until the country was free from foreign yoke.
It was under her influence that her husband by now a cult figure in India joined the Sarvodaya
movement and actively participated in peace overtures in the North East India and the Middle East. She established Mahila Charkha Samiti in Patna
to involve deserted and abandoned women in the charkha or the spinning wheel movement on the Gandhian model.
The last few years were specially painful for her as she was found to be suffering from advanced cancer
.
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. She was born in a reputed Kayastha family in Shrinagar now in Siwan
Siwan District
Siwan district is one of the districts of Bihar state, India. Siwan town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Siwan district is a part of Saran Division since 1972. The town is known for its great past especially for First President of Indian Republic who belonged to Jeeradei. The...
district in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
to Brajkishore Prasad
Brajkishore Prasad
Brajkishore Prasad was born in 1877 in a prominent kayastha family in Shrinagar to Ramjivan Lal a zamindar now in Siwan district in Bihar. He had his early education in Chapra and Patna before moving to Presidency College in Calcutta where he completed his legal training. In between he was married...
and Phool Devi. Brajkishore Prasad was himself an ardent Gandhian perhaps the first Congressman in Bihar who had given up a lucrative legal practise to devote himself to freedom struggle.
She was married to Jayaprakash Narayan
Jayaprakash Narayan
Jayaprakash Narayan , widely known as JP Narayan, Jayaprakash, or Loknayak, was an Indian independence activist and political leader, remembered especially for leading the opposition to Indira Gandhi in the 1970s and for giving a call for peaceful Total Revolution...
who went off to the US to study Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. She moved to Gandhi's ashram where she devoted herself completely to Kasturba Gandhi
Kasturba Gandhi
Kastürbā Gāndhi was the wife of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, marrying him in an arranged marriage in 1883.-Early life and background:...
who started regarding her as her daughter. She also built up a very close relationship with Kamala Nehru
Kamala Nehru
Kamala Kaul Nehru was the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru - leader of the Indian National Congress and first Prime Minister of India. Kamala married Nehru on 7 February 1916.-Contribution to the Indian Freedom Movement:...
and became her confidante. She also spent time in gaol on several occasions.
Kamala Nehru wrote several letters to her when she was having problems with the Nehru family.All the letters were returned to Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
by her husband following her death but a few somehow found their way into the press after Jayaprakash Narayan's death which demonstrate the ill treatment she received at the hands of the Nehru family as she came from a less suave background.
When her husband returned, he was regarded a revolutionary and this led to several differences with her because of her Gandhian orientation. Nevertheless they respected each other and jointly decided not to have any children until the country was free from foreign yoke.
It was under her influence that her husband by now a cult figure in India joined the Sarvodaya
Sarvodaya
Sarvodaya is a term meaning 'universal uplift' or 'progress of all'. The term was first coined by Mahatma Gandhi as the title of his 1908 translation of John Ruskin's tract on political economy, Unto This Last, and Gandhi came to use the term for the ideal of his own political philosophy...
movement and actively participated in peace overtures in the North East India and the Middle East. She established Mahila Charkha Samiti in Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
to involve deserted and abandoned women in the charkha or the spinning wheel movement on the Gandhian model.
The last few years were specially painful for her as she was found to be suffering from advanced cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.