Tribute To Fierce Poet Kamini Roy On Her Birth Anniversary

Kamini Roy, a staunch poet, feminist, and social worker, wrote extensively on social issues and inequalities that existed in society. To mention a few lines from her work, “The male desire to rule is the primary, if not the only, stumbling block to women’s enlightenment. They are extremely suspicious of women’s emancipation. Why? The same old fear, lest they become like us.” These lines were initially in a Bengali essay named- The Fruit Tree of Knowledge. 

Through this essay, she questioned masculinity and women’s autonomy. Not only her words, but her rebellious attitude and will to break societal stereotypes made her a fierce feminist. She was the first woman honours graduate of colonial Bengal, especially when women weren’t allowed to receive an education. Also she got married at the age of 30 at a time when the minimum marriage age for marriage was 14.

Roy was an influential feminist voice; she was on the forefront of the fight for women’s suffrage in Bengal. Her activism and literary work had the same sharpness. A few of her notable work includes Alo O Chhaya, Mahasweta, Pundarika, Pouraniki, Malya O Nirmalya, Ashok Sangeet, Balika Shiksar Adarsha, Thakurmar Chithi, Gunjan, Dip O Dhup, and many more. Most of this work is in the Bangla language, unavailability of translations makes accessing her poetries difficult. 

Although a few of her works translated in 2004 highlights her feminist leanings, for example, a poem titled Thakurmar Chithi written in 1924, is a complex conversation between a grandmother and a granddaughter. Roy places it from the granddaughter’s perspective.

She writes- 

“As Women, we may mothers be

Also wives we may,

But as women, we claim our place

As women to have our say”

Granddaughter represents the young generation, who rejects the women’s destiny of wifehood and motherhood. She also disagrees with the notion that women’s place is only in the home. Women have every right to claim their place in society and no one can deny that. Roy is here the granddaughter. 

Poet Kamini Roy's Life

Kamini Roy had a strong educational background with great thinkers in the family. Roy was born to Chandi Charan Sen, a writer, a judge, and an important member of the Brahmo Samaj movement. She became one of the most prolific writers of the Bengal Renaissance period. It all became possible due to her childhood fascination with bengali literature and Sanskrit. Although, it is said she was passionate about mathematics, later grew interested in Sanskrit and poetry as she spent most of her time in her father’s library. A financially well-off and literate family did provide Roy privileges

but she did know women’s life is not that easy despite the privileges. Being of women by gender in the 19th century was not a cakewalk; no privilege can save you from discrimination. She knew what it meant to be second sex. So she used her literary powers to struggle for womankind.

Roy took her early education from Bethune College, Kolkata. She was in activism mode during her Bethune College days. Roy played an active role in the Ilbert Bill agitation, boosting students to wear badges and organise meetings. She became a professor at Bethune College after graduation. The first book of poems, Alo O Chhaya, was published in 1889 during her teaching days.

Roy’s social worker mode started after the death of her spouse. She got influenced by social worker Abala Bose and joined various movements at that time. Roy formed the Bangiya Nari Samaj to fight for suffrage and women’s liberation. Later, she became a member of the Female Labour Investigation Commission in 1922 for a year. The commission worked with the government to oversee the conditions of women. Roy advocating education for young girls remarkably influenced young girls as they started convincing their parents to get them educated before getting married.

Kamini Roy’s work also attracted criticism and her feminism was questioned many times. For example, post marriage she stopped writing poetries and got engrossed in her marriage and children. It was after the death of her spouse she became active in the public sphere and poetry work. When asked why she stopped writing her response was- “My children are my living poems.” This made it controversial as she accepted one of the patriarchal elements, the “Indian ideal of worshipping motherhood and ignoring career”. Another criticism she attracted was Roy's voice only for middle-class women, with their focus on education and voting rights. Her struggle nowhere appealed to poorer women with severer realities. Most of the women belonged to elite educated women, all from a Brahmo background.

Poet Kamini Roy was a revolutionary in her ideas and action but lost at inclusivity. Although she fought for herself and made her pen stronger over time. Her upbringing helped her to uplift the voices of others and claim a place in the male-dominated society.

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