Parbat Giri: A Champion of Women’s Rights

One of the heroic women who committed their entire lives to serving the country was Parbati Giri. Giri, also known as Banhi-kanya (daughter of fire), was a well-known Odisha-born freedom fighter. She strove for India’s Independence, and after it was attained, she devoted the rest of her life to humanitarian service. The legendary Bargarh woman from Western Odisha was affectionately referred to by her Ashram residents as Badamaa (Big mother) and worked tirelessly for the underprivileged until her passing.

On January 19, 1926, Parbati Giri was born in Samlaipadar village in the Bijepur block of the Bargarh district of Odisha. In the village, she was referred to as “Jakhai” by the locals. Parbati’s family provided her with the desire and will to join the War for Independence, as her uncle Ramchandra Giri was a fellow freedom fighter. She frequently met freedom fighters like Laxminarayan Mishra, Durga Prasad Garu, Bhagirathi Pattanayak, Jambobati Pattanaik, and Fakira Behera.

Parbati left her home on January 14, 1938, to join the Bari Ashram. Parbati met Rama Devi and Gapabandhu Choudhury in-person at Bari Ashram. Over the course of two years, she received the necessary Satyagrahi training in the Ashram.

Parbati began setting up gatherings and encouraging residents of the countryside to join Gandhi’s Khadi Andolan Movement in 1940, when direct Satyagraha began. She persuaded them to wear khadi and practise spinning the charkha. Gandhi called for the Quit India Movement on August 8, 1942, during the AICC meeting in Bombay, in an effort to overthrow British rule in India. In all the towns and cities of Odisha, the movement grew more aggressive. Parbati, a minor, organised lower-class individuals for the movement and organised numerous demonstrations against British rule. She and her buddies chanted anti-British slogans.

Gifting Bangles To Disobedient

It’s even said that she visited the Bargarh Court and commanded the attorneys to leave. Her goal was to persuade them to quit assisting British law enforcement in legal matters. Two bangles were given as a sign of cowardice to those who disobeyed her instructions. Another noteworthy occurrence was when she and three other boys showed up at the SDO’s office in Bargarh. She pretended to be a judge as she sat on the SDO chair. She requested the other boys to bring him tied with a rope, like a suspect, when she saw the SDO enter the office. Due to this arrogant and audacious behaviour of hers, she was detained and sentenced to two years in prison. She was only sixteen years old at the time, and she was later let out of jail. She increased her activities against the British administration in 1944. She also re-joined Bari Ashram. She resided in Wardha Ashram from 1946 to 1947 and prepared herself to put Gandhian socio-economic principles into practise.

Organising Women’s Anti-Colonial Campaign

Parbati Giri made a name for herself as a champion of women’s rights. She simultaneously played two important roles. Firstly, she organised women for their anti-colonial campaign and encouraged them to join Gandhi’s Khadi Andolan. Secondly, Parbati promoted cottage industry, Khadi and Harijan welfare in order to work for village women in Saraipali, Barpali, and Panimura. In villages, she provided instructions in weaving and thread production. She advised women to shun foreign products, utilise charkha, and hand-spin their clothing.

When Odisha was devastated by a famine, following Independence, she took upon the role of providing relief efforts and aiding people who were seriously affected. She also put forth a lot of effort to eradicate leprosy and improve prison conditions. She was well-liked in Western Orissa due to her charitable nature toward the poor and her substantial contribution to the Indian liberation struggle. Due to her fortitude, fierce nationalistic emotions, and freedom of expression, she was nicknamed “Banhi Kanya.”

Her goal was to persuade them (attorneys) to quit assisting British law enforcement in legal matters. Two bangles were given as a sign of cowardice to those who disobeyed her instructions

Western Odisha’s rural ladies received tremendous support from Parbati. She trained rural women to be crusaders against social inequality on her visits to villages, instilled a nationalist attitude in their minds, and encouraged them to become independent. She even instructed women in the fundamentals of a Satyagraha. Parbati urged rural women to exhibit sufficient tolerance and adhere to the Gandhian ideals of suffering love. She held the view that an evil person’s heart could only be changed through love. In rural India, Parbati fought against patriarchy. She organised women to fight domestic violence, including physical abuse of wives. Numerous women joined the struggle for women’s rights and supported Parbati Giri. Parbati placed a strong emphasis on the education of women. She taught the alphabet to numerous women and used Gandhian ideas to reform many female convicts.

In 1995, on August 17, Parbati Giri passed away. Every generation needs to continue Giri’s commitment to Indian society. Recently, the Parbati Giri irrigation project was announced by the Odisha Government as a tribute to the wonderful soul. The sacrifices Parbati Giri made for her countrymen will live on in memory forever.