Sucharu Devi

Her Highness Maharani Sucharu Devi (or Suchara Devi) (9 October 1874 – 14 December 1959) was the Maharani of Mayurbhanj State, India.[1]

Sucharu Devi
Born9 October 1874 (1874-10-09)
Kolkata, India
Died14 December 1959 (1959-12-15) (aged 85)
Kolkata
Other namesHer Highness Maharani Sucharu Devi
Known forSocial worker, educator
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1904; died 1912)​
RelativesSuniti Devi (sister)

Early life

She was born in a Bengali Hindu family. She was daughter of the Brahmo Samaj reformer Maharshi Keshub Chandra Sen of Calcutta. She married the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj State, Shri Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo (1871–1912) in 1904, which was the Maharaja's second marriage after the death of his first wife.[2] From her marriage with the Maharaja, she had one son and two daughters. Their only son, Maharaj Kumar Dhrubendra Bhanj Deo (1908–1945), was a Royal Air Force pilot, who died in action during World War II.[2] She spent a major portion of her life in Mayurbhanj Palace, which was royal residence of rulers of Mayurbhanj State. Her husband, the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj built a mountain retreat in Shillong, where she spent her summer time and Rabindranath Tagore visited there as guest few times. The house is popular as Mayurbhanj palace which is a part of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) campus now.

She and her sister, the Maharani of Koch Bihar, Suniti Devi, were noted for their elegant style of dressing.[3]

Work

She and her sister Suniti Devi founded the Maharani Girls' High School at Darjeeling in 1908.[4] Maharani Sucharu Devi was elected president of the Bengal Women's Education League in 1931. After the sudden death of his sister, Suniti Devi, in 1932, she was elected president of All Bengal Women's Union.[5] In Calcutta she was known as a women's rights activist like her contemporaries Charulata Mukherjee, Saroj Nalini Dutt, T. R. Nelly, and her elder sister Suniti Devi the Maharani of Cooch Behar.[6]

She died in 1959.[6]

References
  1. Kaye, Joyoti Devi (1979). Sucharu Devi, Maharani of Mayurbhanj: a biography.
  2. "Mayurbhanj".
  3. The Many Worlds of Sarala Devi: A Diary: Translated from the Bengali Jeevaner Jharapata. The Many Worlds of Sarala Devi/The Tagores and Sartorial Styles By Sukhendu Ray, Malavika Karlekar, Bharati Ray. 2010. p. 76. ISBN 9788187358312.
  4. Ramusack, Barbara N. (2004). The Indian Princes and Their States. Vol. 3. p. 144. ISBN 9781139449083.
  5. Southard, Barbara (1995). The women's movement and colonial politics in Bengal: the quest for political rights, education, and social reform legislation, 1921–1936. p. 157. ISBN 9788173040597.
  6. Sengupta, Padmini Sathianadhan (1970). Pandita Ramabai Saraswati: her life and work. p. 65. ISBN 9780210226117.
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