Pandita Ramabi (1858-1922)

Pandita Ramabai was born into the highest caste of Brahmins in India but she spent her early life in poverty.
In 1876/7 there was a famine and she lost her father, mother and sister. In 1880 her brother died and she married Biipin Behart Medhvi, a lawyer froma lower caste. They had a daughter Manorama. Her husband died in 1882.
She moved to Pune and founded Atya mahila Samaj - a women’s society to help widowed women. Girls were getting married at a very early age -as early as 3 years of age, often to elderly men, who died. She estimated in 1880 there were 23 million widows in India
She became very much involved in women’s rights. She battled for the care of widows and the prohibition of child marriages.
She came to England in 1883 for further training at Cheltenham Ladies College. She was baptised that year.
She then spent time in the USA. In 1887 the Ramabai Association was formed in Boston. She returned to India in 1889 and opened Sarada Sadan , the Home of Wisdom. She had very strong opposition although she agreed to no open proselytizing - no talk of Christianity. In 1993 leading Hindu reformers resigned from her board and she was able to openly invite students to follow Christ. In 1896 there was another sever famine. With limited resources 100’s arrived. Then cholera swept the town. She moved 30 miles away and built Muki Sadan -Place of Salvation.
Her legacy is in the lives of people she helped to transform. She hoped her daughter would carry on but she died in 1921. Paandita was broken hearted - she was now almost deaf. She died on April 6th 1922. The work of the mission continues - Muld Sadan is now called the Pandita Rambai Muti Mission in honour of her memory.

My sources for this information are Wikipedia, Mukti Missions and Ambassadors for Christ. I have included a picture showing the origins of caste.