Durgabai Deshmukh
Durgabai Deshmukh, 1910- , political and social worker. Born in a village near Rajamundry in Andhra Pradesh, she was married at the age of eight years, and became a widow at a very young age. She became interested in freedom movement since 1921 and actively participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement, and was, sentenced to nine months imprisonment in May 1930 for her political activities. She later studied law and started practicing in 1942, and was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1946. In 1953, she married Chintamani Dwarkanath Deshmukh, the then Union Minister. She has been closely associated with a number of national and international organizations in the field of culture and education. She established the Central Social Welfare Board and acted as its chairman from 1953 to 1963. She is currently associated with India International Centre, Delhi.
