Mrs. Chandrakala Ranjit Naik, wife of Late Shri Ranjit P. Naik and D/o. Late Shri Ratansingh Rathod, was born on 1st July 1936, at Village : Lohagaon, Taluka : Karanja, District : Akola, Maharashtra State.

She was born in the family of freedom fighters. Her father Late Shri Babusingh Rathod was a freedom fighter, founder of Arya Samaj and first Committee Member of AICC, was awarded “Dalit Mitra” and his family maintained the relation with AICC till date. Her Grandfather was also a freedom fighter, who actively participated in India’s Freedom Movement.

Academic Qualifications :

Studied upto S.S.C. at Government High School, Amravati, Maharashtra State with Scholarship.

Completed Bachelor of Arts (B.A) from Women’s College, Nagpur.

She is the First Banjara lady graduate in Maharashtra State.

Completed Master of Arts (M.A) and Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), while practicing as a Teacher.

Participation / Social Activities :

Since her college days she used to go village-to-village and meet Banjara people and explain them the importance of education in Banjara community especially for girl’s education.

After marrying Mr. Ranjit Naik in 1962 she has been helping her husband, in all socio-economic and cultural activities of All India Banjara Seva Sangh (AIBSS) and many other organisations for the upliftment of Banjara Community.

She is the Member of All India Banjara Seva Sangh (AIBSS), since 1966.

She led a Banjara cultural troupe to Chandigarh in the year 1983, where Late Smt. Indira Gandhi presided the function of International Festival of Roma Gypsy. In this function she ordered for a 5 acres of land to Banjaras of Chikkuwadi (BARC), Mumbai.

Was founder Chairman of Roma Banjara Tanda Co-op. Hsg. Society, where about 536 Banjaras and backward class people, mainly construction labourers have got their own pucca houses free of cost.

By her active participation with her husband, the Sevagad Trust got sanctioned a residential school, which was inaugurated on 13/9/2004 by Andhra Pradesh Government.

Was elected as President of Women’s Wing of All India Banjara Seva Sangh (AIBSS).

Was unanimously elected as President of the All India Banjara Seva Sangh (AIBSS) and Sant Shri Sevalal Maharaj Charitable Trust - Sevagad (SSSMCT), Dist: Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, on 9th August, 2004, after the sudden demise of her husband and former President, Shri Ranjit Naik.

Publications brought out by Mrs. Chandrakala Naik :

i) “Apne aap Banjara Boli Sikho” (Learn Banjara Boli by yourself).

ii) Published and edited ‘BANJARA’ Fortnightly in Hindi language.

iii) Published and edited ‘ROMA - BANJARA', (Hindi and English) Bilingual Fortnightly between 1982 and 1986 from Bombay.

iv) Presently publishing and editing ‘BHARAT BANJARA', (Hindi and English) Bilingual Fortnightly from 1st June 2002 from Mumbai.

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Monday, September 24, 2007

A S JOEL KUMAR

HYDERABAD: Suave and sophisticated, Associate Professor Surya Naik greets one in chaste Telugu as she settles comfortably in her chair.

‘‘I used to help my mother in the fields during my holidays. Given a chance, I won’t hesistate to work even now,’’ she says wistfully. It’s hard to imagine, finding her in the pleasant environs of the college, the roots that she traces to the little-known tribal Thanda, Bhallu Naik, in Miryalaguda.

In a roller-coaster life, beginning with her father’s death when she was just three, she has come a long way to be an Associate Professor in the Telugu Department at the University College for Women, Koti.

Recalling her early days, she explains, ‘‘Those were the days of early marriage in our parts. I had my elementary education at Bhallu Naik Thanda.’’ Notwithstanding the societal customs, her mother, Dwali Bai, sent her daughter to school while she sweated it out in the fields.

‘‘We had to walk 7 km through the fields to study up to Class V. Later, I joined the ST hostel and completed SSC from the Miryalguda Government High School,’’ Surya narrates.

Domestic pressure to get married briefly threatened her academic progress. She was married to Dhananjay Naik when she was in her Intermediate first year in 1987. She gave birth to a son the next year and for a while, it seemed as though family responsibilities would bring the curtains down on her academic ambitions.

But her indomitable spirit saw her graduate from the BR Ambedkar Open University in 1994 and B.Ed from AMS the same year. ‘‘I then joined the MA (Telugu) course in Koti Women’s College,’’ Surya relates as she goes down her memory lane.

Soon after her post-graduation, she cleared the DSC and was subsequently, selected in the general quota and posted as a teacher at Pedda Amberpet, ZPHS. From then on, there was no looking back for her. She got through the APPSC and moved to the Degree College in Sadasivapet in 1999.

She completed her M.Phil in no time and began her PhD in 2001. Her research was on ‘Banjara life and culture’ in Nalgonda district. She went on to become the first ST woman to receive a doctorate from the university. She was appointed Associate Professor in the Osmania University in May, 2007.

‘‘Lambadas have their own language but there is no script. As a result, tribal names have different spellings. I did research in my home district first. I feel there should be a separate Banjara studies department in the Osmania University,’’ she says.

For all her achievements, the modest teacher credits her mother, husband, Deputy Commercial Tax Officer and all her teachers for her success. ‘‘To encourage me, my husband even dropped his idea of doing PhD in London,’’ she recalls. And, with a smile, bids adieu as she picks up her books.

(With Thanks from newindpress.com)

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Prof. Shyamala Devi is the first lady professor of economics in A.P. with a tribal background. She studied in Osmania University and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She is teaching since 1979 and has been awarded a National Overseas Fellowship by the Government of India to do research. From 1995 to 1998 she did a comparative study of "Gypsy" Roma / Ghor  "Banjaras" Communities in Europe and Andhra Pradesh, India entitled: "The Search for Identity of Gypsies of the World and the Impact of Different Economic Systems". 

Prof. Devi was a visiting professor and senior research fellow at the University of Greenwich in London, UK and the Centre for Asian Studies Amsterdam of the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.  

Professor Shyamala Devi's recent comparative study of Roma in Europe and Ghor in India, along with her documentary video film on some aspects of the above topic, have sparked off a lively and continuing debate. The debate focuses on the cultural diversity and the nature of socio-economic discriminations faced by 'Gypsy' ethnic groups all over the world from their early migrations onward. Her research work includes interviews with victims of the Second World War holocaust and present day fascist skinheads both in Central and Eastern European countries.   

The debate also touches on how to face the racial, class and caste differences and impact of modernization, economic liberalization and globalization in the daily lives of the 'Gypsy' ethnic groups. Most of Professor Devi's research work is action-oriented with an interdisciplinary approach.  

Prof. Devi has done extensive field work in Ghor ("Banjara") settlements in India and Roma "Gypsy" camps in Europe.  She strongly believes in and involves herself only in social action research and not research for the sake of research. She has conducted and participated in more than 200 workshops, seminars and conferences from village level to international level and she is known as an active socially committed academic since her graduation in 1972. She has also published many articles in national and international reputed journals.

Prof. Devi responds to the occasions and participates in activities for social change in favour of the needy and deprived sections of the population. Most of her action research is related to the problems of poor rural and 'tribal' people, against anti-people's policies and for structural change.

At present she is professor of economics at Kakatiya University, Warangal.

For further details please see the bio-data attached.

Address:

Prof.Dr.B.R.Shyamala Devi, Professor of Economics, Dept. of Economics, KU 
Vidyaranyapuri, Kakatiya University,  Warangal, A.P.
 cell.9849164352 (temp.)
 E-mail - brsdevi@yahoo.com