A Life Less Ordinary

A key figure in the freedom movement, post-Independence, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, devoted herself to the revival of Indian arts and crafts

- Laila Tyabji

Somewhere in Professor Nico Slate's compelling book on Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay is a story of how, touring South India in her capacity as Chairperson of the All India Handicrafts Board, she learnt of a community of handloom weavers in a remote village about to abandon their craft. Despite the searing May heat, she wrapped a wet towel round her head and drove off in her jeep to meet them. The village was Pochampally; the help and financial and promotional support she gave them turned them into one of the most thriving centres of handloom ikat weaving. The story is typical of Kamaladevi's commitment, passion and practicality, and is only one of many.

It is a tragedy for India that the patriarchal male-centric attitudes of policy-makers in the '50s and '60s prevented her from playing a more pivotal role in nation-building. She is known for her pioneering work in craft and the performing arts, considered suitable for a woman, but her interests and concerns were so much wider: education, gender equity, labour rights and welfare, the environment.