Kaumudi Teacher (Aged 92) born on July 16, 1917, into a royal family to A.K. Ramavarma Raja and Devaki Kettilamma in Vayakkara, Kannur, Kerala, India. She was a Gandhian and Indian freedom activist. She was known for voluntarily donating her ornaments to Gandhi when he visited Vatakara on January 14, 1934. This act was acknowledged by Gandhi in his article titled “Kaumudi’s Renunciation,” published in Young India.
She later became interested in the Indian freedom struggle and pledged to not wear ornaments after her act of renunciation for the cause of Harijans in 1934. After completing her matriculation, she studied Hindi and became the first Hindi teacher in Malabar at the Government Girls High School. She was a disciple of Vinobha Bhave and had also been associated with the Bhoodhan Movement.
During Gandhi’s visit to Vatakara on January 14, 1934, in connection with fundraising for the Harijan Sahaya Samithi, Kaumudi Teacher answered his appeal for donation by giving her gold ornaments to him for the larger cause of the Indian freedom movement. She was only 17 years old at the time. Her sacrifice was acknowledged by Gandhi in his article titled “Kaumudi’s Renunciation,” which was published in Young India. This text was later translated into all Indian languages and made a part of the school syllabus.
As he handed her an autograph, Gandhi scribbled, “Tumhara tyag tumhara bhushan hoga,” which means “Your renunciation is a truer ornament than the jewelry you have discarded.” On the day of her cremation, many people gathered to pay their respects to her. A contingent of police personnel also offered a gun salute before the body of the 92-year-old Gandhian was taken for cremation. Additional District Magistrate Sudheer Babu also placed a wreath on behalf of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. She passed away on August 4, 2009.
Kaumudi Teacher
(1917 – 2009) – (Kerala)
Kaumudi Teacher (Aged 92) born on July 16, 1917, into a royal family to A.K. Ramavarma Raja and Devaki Kettilamma in Vayakkara, Kannur, Kerala, India. She was a Gandhian and Indian freedom activist. She was known for voluntarily donating her ornaments to Gandhi when he visited Vatakara on January 14, 1934. This act was acknowledged by Gandhi in his article titled “Kaumudi’s Renunciation,” published in Young India.
She later became interested in the Indian freedom struggle and pledged to not wear ornaments after her act of renunciation for the cause of Harijans in 1934. After completing her matriculation, she studied Hindi and became the first Hindi teacher in Malabar at the Government Girls High School. She was a disciple of Vinobha Bhave and had also been associated with the Bhoodhan Movement.
During Gandhi’s visit to Vatakara on January 14, 1934, in connection with fundraising for the Harijan Sahaya Samithi, Kaumudi Teacher answered his appeal for donation by giving her gold ornaments to him for the larger cause of the Indian freedom movement. She was only 17 years old at the time. Her sacrifice was acknowledged by Gandhi in his article titled “Kaumudi’s Renunciation,” which was published in Young India. This text was later translated into all Indian languages and made a part of the school syllabus.
As he handed her an autograph, Gandhi scribbled, “Tumhara tyag tumhara bhushan hoga,” which means “Your renunciation is a truer ornament than the jewelry you have discarded.” On the day of her cremation, many people gathered to pay their respects to her. A contingent of police personnel also offered a gun salute before the body of the 92-year-old Gandhian was taken for cremation. Additional District Magistrate Sudheer Babu also placed a wreath on behalf of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. She passed away on August 4, 2009.
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