76. Ashalata Sen (1894 - 1986)

Ashalata Sen (1894 - 1986) was an anti-British activist, a poet and a social worker. She was born at Noakhali (Bangladesh) on 2nd Feb 1894 in an educated and enlightened family. She was the daughter of Bagala Mohan Dasgupta and Monoda Dasgupta. Her father was a lawyer at the district judge's court  Their ancestral home was in the village of Bidgaon in Vikrampur.
Ashalata was interested in literature from her childhood.A nationalistic poem that she had written against the partition of Bengal when she was only 10 years old was printed in the monthly Antahpur. She made an abridged translation of the war in Valmiki's Ramayan.Her other books were Uchchhas, Utsa, Vidyut, and Chotoder Chada. Towards the end of her life she wrote her autobiography.
She was married at the age of 12 to Satya Ranjan Sen, a Government sergent. Her married life was very happy but very short.Her husband died when she was only 22, and she had a son of four-month -old.Within six years she overcame her grief and studied Bengali, English, Sanskrit and started to take active interest in the world outside.
Encouraged by her grandmother, Ashalata read many books on the freedom struggles of other countries and had drawn inspiration for the freedom struggle of her own country.
Ashalata entered politics at the encouragement and inspiration of her grandmother, Nabashashi Devi. After the partition of Bengal in 1905, Nabashashi Devi along with Sushila Sen, Kamalkamini Gupta, and others organised women's societies and stores of local products in Vikrampura.
In 1921, she was inspired by the non-cooperation movement of Mahatma Gandhi and with her father-in - law's support , set up a weaving unit for womenat her residence in Gandhria in Dhaka. In 1922, she attended the Congress session in Gaya as a representative of the women of Dhaka district.In 1924, in association with Sarma Gupta and Sarjubala Gupta , set up Gandhria Mahila Samity, to propagate the the message of Gandhi.In 1925 she became a member of the All India Weavers' Society and helped to promote the sale of locally produced khadi.In 1927 she set up Kalya Kutir Ashram in Dhaka with object of training women workers.In 1929, In association with Sarma Gupta , she set up the Juran Shiksha Mandir at Gandharia.
In 1930, Ashalata participated in the salt marches launched by Gandhi to defy the salt law
Ashalata wanted to organise women and make them conscious of their rights and abilities.She set up many women organisation,
During the famine in 1943, Ashalata was closely involved in relief work. In 1946 she was elected unopposed to the Bengal Legislative Assembly. In 1947, she was elected East Pakistan assembly.
In 1965, when Ashalata came Delhi a war broke out between India and Pakistan on border issues. She was shcked at this and withdrew herself from public work and devoted herself for literary pursuit.
The two issues she raised as a member of Legislative assembly,
1. Bengal should be the language of East Pakistan.
2. The revenue and the foreign exchanges earned by East Pakistan should be spent in and there only.
Ashaata came back to India in 1978 and she breathed her last in 1986 at the age of 92.
She was the true daughter of Bengal Renaissance started by rammohan Roy and others.