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| Mahila Samity |
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The concept of starting a Mahila Samity came to the mind of Saroj Nalini Devi when she
witnessed the plight of rural women during her travels to different parts of the then undivided
Bengal with her I.C.S. husband Shri Gurusaday Dutt. As a result, the first Mahila Samity was started in Pabna (now in Bangladesh), while the second was set up in Siuri in the
Birbhum district of West Bengal, India. In 1925, the third Mahila Samity came up in
Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. Saroj Nalini Dutt founded Mahila Samities in rural
areas and under-developed areas mainly for helping deprived women like widows, desertedwives
and for women with no background of literacy. They were imparted education to fight
their ignorance and keep their loneliness at bay.
The main objective of these organizations is to make women literate and self-reliant by
giving them specialised training in any vocation. Saroj Nalini Dutt Memorial Association serves as the basic organizational unit through which welfare activities which are promoted
for the development of women and children.
The activities of the Mahila Samities consist of awareness programs on Family Planning,
Nutrition, Child Care, Sanitation and Hygiene. Awareness camps on AIDS and Thalassemia are also held periodically. Every year Certificate-Course examinations are held where the
syllabus comprises either a Full Course spanning two years or Short Course of only one year.
While the Short Course consists of Tailoring, Batik, Machine-Embroidering and Machine
Knitting, the Full Course consists of Tailoring (Theory & Practical), Hand Knitting, Hand-
Embroidery and Drawing as well. |
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