DHYASPARVA

THE TALE OF TWELVE SPIRITS WHO FOUGHT WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT AGAINST THE MANY ATROCITIES THAT WOMEN HAD TO FACE. EACH FOUGHT A DIFFERENT BATTLE NEVERTHELESS THEY ALL HAD TO BEAR THE CONSEQUENCES. SIX OF THESE WOMEN WERE BORN IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY WHILE SIX OF THEM WERE BORN IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY. MAA ANNAPURNADEVI WAS FROM UTTAR PRADESH. SHILAVATI KETKAR WAS A FOREIGNER WHO EMBRACED HINDUISM AND THE REMAINING TEN WERE THE DAUGHTERS OF MAHARASTHRA. RAMABAI RANADE BAYA KARVE PARVATIBAI ATHAVALE PARVATIBAI THOMBARE AND ANANDI JOSHI HAD TO FACE LOT MANY ATROCITIES. ANANDI COULD NOT SERVE THE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF HER UNTIMELY DEATH. THE OTHERS SERVED THE PEOPLE TILL THEIR LAST BREATH. MALATIBAI WAS A SOCIAL WORKER AND WRITER. KUSUMAVATI WENT ALONE TO ENGLAND FOR FURTHER EDUCATION. SHE WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE THE CHAIRPERSON OF SAHITYA SAMMELAN. KAMALA BHAGWAT-SOHONI WAS THE FIRST INDIAN SCIENTIST. EXCEPT FOR HER TEACHER NONE TREATED HER AS EQUAL. 155 RESEARCH PAPERS ARE TO HER CREDIT. MRINAL GORE WAS FAMOUS AS THE `WATER LADY`. SHE WAS AN EXCEPTIONAL HUMAN BEING WHO DID NOT MISUSE ANY SINGLE RUPEE BUT GOT SIX THOUSAND HOUSES BUILT FOR THE POOR PEOPLE IN MUMBAI. SHE PREFERRED TO REMAIN IN A RENTED HOUSE THROUGHOUT HER LIFE. MAA ANNAPURNADEVI WAS THE WIFE OF THE FAMOUS SITAR PLAYER RAVI SHANKAR. BY ALL MEANS SHE WAS A FAR MORE BETTER ARTIST THAN HER HUSBAND. THE MALE EGO COMPELLED HER TO TAKE AN OATH THAT SHE WOULD NEVER PLAY SITAR OUTSIDE HER HOUSE. ALL THESE EXCLUSIVE WOMEN MAINTAINED THEIR STATURE OF BEING A HOUSEWIFE AND YET THEY LEFT THEIR MARK ON MANKIND. THE AUTHOR WAS IMPRESSED BY THE NOBLE WORK DONE BY THESE TWELVE WOMEN WHICH HAS BEEN PORTRAYED BEAUTIFULLY IN THIS BOOK.. सेवासदनच्या संस्थापक रमाबाई रानडे...भारतातील पहिली डॉक्टर स्त्री आनंदीबाई जोशी...महर्षी कर्व्यांच्या कार्याशी एकरूप होऊनही स्वत्व जपणाऱ्या बाया कर्वे... विधवेच्या जिण्यातून बाहेर पडून समाजसेवेत स्वत:ला झोकून देणाऱ्या पार्वतीबाई आठवले...बालकवींसारखा प्रतिभावंत नवरा मिळूनही दु:खाच्या खाईत लोटल्या गेलेल्या पार्वतीबाई ठोंबरे... ज्ञानकोशकार केतकर यांच्यासाठी परदेशातून इथे येऊन हिंदू झालेल्या आणि त्यांच्या निधनानंतरही त्यांचं जीवितकार्य पूर्ण करणाऱ्या शीलवती केतकर...भारतातील पहिल्या महिला शास्त्रज्ञ कमलाबाई सोहोनी...स्त्रियांचे प्रश्न धीटपणे मांडणाऱ्या काळाच्या पुढे असणाऱ्या देदीप्यमान लेखिका मालतीबाई बेडेकर...लेखिका समीक्षक विदुषी कुसुमावती देशपांडे...`पाणीवाली बाई’ म्हणून मुंबईत प्रसिद्धीस आलेल्या मृणाल गोरे... उच्च कोटीचा कलाकार असूनही एकटेपण वाट्याला आलेल्या अन्नपूर्णादेवी...गोवा मुक्ती लढ्यात उडी घेणाऱ्या सुधा जोशी... एकूण बारा स्त्रियांच्या जीवनाचा आणि कार्यकर्तृत्वाचा सहृदयतेने घेतलेला वेध.