Opening of the Sharada Sadan
The history of the organisation of the movement is somewhat interesting. It seems that about seven or eight years ago Pundita Ramabai conceived the idea of establishing a home for high caste Hindoo widows and she took all the necessary steps for giving publicity to the scheme. The make members of the community, however, were not at all in sympathy with the proposal, but the Pundita feeling the necessity of getting the scheme carried out determined, with characteristic and praiseworthy earnestness, to seek fresh fields and pastures new. With this end in view she journeyed in 1883 to America, where she so eloquently set before the citizens grievance of her caste-women, that their sympathetic feelings were aroused, and they contributed largely towards the object— the Pundita having explained that if she could support the home for the first ten years she had every reason to believe that after that period it would be self-supporting. On returning to Bombay she set about making the arrangements for the proper establishment of the home, the existence of which through her untiring exertion and the sympathetic response to her appeal by the American citizens became an accomplished fact on Monday last. Mr. S. Kelkur, at the opening meeting, explained that two committees, one in Bombay and the other in the mofussil, had been formed, and with the assistance of these and two ladies who had come out from America and the Pundita would carry on the working of the institution. He likewise pointed out that it was especially provided for the accommodation of high caste Hindoo women, but other girls would also be admitted. Fees would be asked from those who were in a position to pay them, but any widow who was unable to bear the expense would be exempted from payment of the fees. In the school, English, Marathi, Guzerathi, and Sanskrit will be taught, while lessons in domestic economy and other subjects will also be given, the kinder-garter system being provided for the juvenile inmates. It may here be observed that on somewhat curious coincidence connected with the opening of the institution is that the name of the first widow who has taken advantage of its benefits is Sharada.
After the proceedings on Monday had been opened with a special prayer by Mrs. Kanikbai, Pundita Ramabai and Mr. Kelkur addressed the company in the vernacular, explaining at some length the history of the formation and the objects of the institution. The Hon. Mr. K.T. Telling afterwards delivered a speech in English, in the course of which he mentioned that the book published by the Pundita on the condition of her caste-women had gone through ten editions of a thousand copies each, by which she had got a net profit of Rs. 25,000, which was to go to the fund for the publication of a special series of books for female education there. They would be illustrated, and the mechanical preparations for such illustrations had already been secured by her at a cost of Rs. 10,000 from America. He also drew special attention to the fact that the subscribers in America to Ramabah’s fund had kept her quite untrammeled about religious matters, and that one of the rules of the institution established by Ramabai was that there should be noninterference with any pupil’s religion, but that the education imparted there should be imparted altogether of a non-propagandist character.
The distribution of flowers terminated the proceedings.
From The Times of India. March 13, 1889. Page 5.