Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: The Art Of Freedom by Nico Slate Hardcover

 

In 1947, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay took a surprising trip to a dreary government building in New Delhi to address a major crisis in the newly independent nation - the fate of the millions of refugees fleeing into Pakistan. Despite having no official status, she somehow managed to secure land just outside the capital for the construction of a model town that would house 30,000 people. This town is now known as Faridabad. This is just one of the many forgotten efforts made by a determined woman who dedicated her life to empowering others. Born a Saraswat Brahmin in Mangalore, Kamaladevi was a performer, a follower of Gandhi, a social reformer, an educator, an institution builder, a patron of the arts, an author, and a visionary. She bridged divides established by tradition while forging her own identity as an Indian woman in a male-dominated world. Her dream was for an India free not only from colonial rule, but also from the