Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: The Romantic Rebel

This biography chronicles the extraordinary life of glamorously beautiful rebel who was also known as the culture queen of India.  One of the most outstanding women of modern India, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay put her name down in Indian history as an intrepid freedom fighter and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, as a crusader of women’s rights, and as the rejuvenator of indigenous arts and crafts that had languished under colonial rule.  For half of century, from the ’30s to the time of her death in 1988, she strode the national scene like a colossus, but spurned high office and political rewards. She could be fearlessly rebellious when the occasion demanded, and also supremely romantic and compassionate at the same time. She was honored with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay International Award for her contribution to community work, the UNESCO award for crafts promotion, and the Padma Vibushan – the second highest civilian award of the Government of India – for her writings.