A column in ‘The Statesman’ discusses about Dr. Radharani Chaudhury, who was the first to receive a doctorate degree in Economics in the country. She was a student as well as teacher in the Banaras Hindu University.
An excerpt from the article:
Rare academicians
LOOKING BACK
Arup K Datta
Sometimes people would come to see me from distances for they had heard that a woman was teaching male students in the university.
Dr. Kalikinkar Datta and Dr Radharani Choudhury who feature in this edition of my column, are both academicians and, therefore, not familiar or household names like say, film stars or cricketers.
Dr Radharani Choudhury
Few in this part of the world have heard of Dr Radharani Chaudhury, the first woman to receive a doctorate degree in Economics in the country. The name is not even familiar in the local academic circles for Dr Choudhury spent all her life in Benaras, first as a student and then as a teacher in the Benaras Hindu University. Hers is a story of courage in adversity.
Married at 17 just after her Matriculation exams, her world was shattered when her husband died aged 32 and she 23. A four-year old son and month-old daughter were her immediate concern and the strong-willed young mother was intent on bringing her two children without being a burden on any soul.
She recommenced her studies, passed IA and BA (Hons) from Calcutta University and returned to Benaras where her father lived. From BHU she passed MA in Economics with flying colours. Dr Amiya Dasgupta had already joined the BHU and headed its Economics department. He was being increasingly noted, both as an economist and teacher and Radharani registered herself under Dr Dasgupta immediately after her post-graduation.
“I am indebted to him for guiding my professional career, giving it a direction. He was a great economist who deserved the Nobel Prize as much as Arthur Louis, for both worked on the theory of labour surplus and held almost identical views on the problem. When he lectured on the history of economic thought and economic development, the classroom would be chock-a-block with students as they listened with rapt attention”, said Dr Chaudhury.
While still working on her doctoral dissertation, Dr Choudhury joined the Economics department as a lecturer. She worked there till 1982 and when she retired, the last 12 years as the head of the department.
“Sometimes people would come to see me from distances for they had heard that a woman was teaching male students in the university,” she laughed, reminiscing those good old days.
Dr Choudhury carries fond memories of her days in the American University in Washington where she spent a year under the Fullbright exchange scheme. Among others she remembers frequent visits of Anita and Martin Paff, daughter and son-in-law of Netaji who lived there at the time.
“Indian students are very intelligent but American students have a more inquiring mind, possibly the outcome of their educational system,” she said.
Talking of India’s five-year plans and development strategy, Dr Choudhury said that Dr Mahalonabis, an able statistician and captivating talker, make a khichri of planning by assigning different roles to the public and the private sectors. It just did not work. For example, the government should not have meddled with service or construction industries, for consumer focus so essential for success in these sectors, was missing in their attitude. The recent growth in GDP has little to do with our five-year plans. Urbane and cultivated, Dr Choudhury radiates a rare beauty that can come only from total fulfillment in life.