Kalavati Devi | |
---|---|
![]() Devi in March 2020 | |
Born | c. 1965 (age 57–58) |
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation | Mason |
Known for | Building 4,000 toilets |
Spouse | Jairaj Singh |
Children | Two daughters |
Kalavati Devi (born c. 1965) is an Indian mason who became an award-winning toilet builder in Kanpur. She transformed her own community by installing a 50-seat toilet and then moved to other communities. She has helped build 4,000 toilets improving the lot particularly for women and children. In 2019 she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar (the highest award for women in India).
Devi was born in the 1960s and her background is in Sitapur. [1] She came to Raja purwa near j k temple Kanpur when she was 14 to marry Jairaj Singh who was 18. One of her husband's jobs was to work as a floor cutter for a non-profit group called Shramik Bharti. [1]
They lived in Raja Purwa Kanpur and she was disgusted by people defecating in the street. She said it was a "living hell" and that she intended to improve the cleanliness of her area. [2] Her husband was supportive and, when she decided that she was going to build toilets in her area, he went with her to meet Shramik Bharti. They were keen on the idea of building a 10–20 seat facility. Local corporations were approached and they offered to find 200,000 rupees if she could raise 100,000. She tried, and she did raise a good sum and more importantly enthusiasm for the idea. Eventually there was a 50-seat facility. [1]
She had found her role, but she wanted to do more than fund raise and organise so she decided to become a mason and Shramik Bharti found funds to assist her training. [1]
Both her husband and son-in-law died leaving her as the sole wage earner who had to provide for her daughter and two grandchildren. [2] In 2015 she was working in the shanty town of Rakhi Mandi where 700 families lived without a single toilet. Devi offered to help and persuaded WaterAid to help fund some toilets. The local community were unwilling to give land or finances as they were happy with their lot and they feared that there must be a secret agenda to the offer of help. [3] This was despite the open sewers, children and adults having to defaecate in the street and anecdotal talk of assaults and a rape. [1] She went out to build the toilets having to walk some days in pouring rain for 5 km after taking two bus rides. [1]
On International Women's Day in 2020 she took over the Indian Prime Minister's Twitter account. She was one of what the Prime Minister nicknamed the "magnificent seven" who tweeted in his name that day. [2] Seven were chosen to tweet but the awardees were Padala Bhudevi, Bina Devi, Arifa Jan, Chami Murmu, Nilza Wangmo, Rashmi Urdhwardeshe, Mann Kaur, Kaushiki Chakroborty, Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawanna Kanth, Mohana Singh Jitarwal, Bhageerathi Amma, Karthyayani Amma and Devi. [4] Her work was recognised when the President Ram Nath Kovind awarded her one of twelve Nari Shakti Puraskar awards. The awards were made on International Women's Day in New Delhi. [2]
Kalavati Devi won the award as a woman mason building toilets. Another woman Sunita Devi had won the same award for similar work, the year before, for her work in Jharkhand. [5]
The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is the highest civilian honour for women in India, and is presented by the president of India on International Women's Day at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The award was instituted in 1999 under the title of Stree Shakti Puraskar, renamed and reorganised in 2015. It is awarded in six institutional and two individual categories, which carry a cash prize of 200,000 and 100,000 rupees, respectively.
Shramik Bharti is a nonprofit organization established in 1986 and headquartered in Kanpur, India. Its goal is to eradicate poverty by empowering women and disadvantaged communities.
Bina Devi is an Indian leader who became known for inspiring women to become businesswoman through mushroom cultivation. Nicknamed 'Mushroom Mahila' for popularising mushroom cultivation, Bina Devi gained respect and became the Sarpanch of Dhauri Panchayat, Tetiabamber block for five years. She has trained farmers on mushroom and organic farming, vermicompost production and organic insecticide preparation.
Nilza Wangmo is an Indian restaurant owner and an enthusiast for the local food of the Ladakh region of northern India. Her work in 2019 was recognised with the highest award for women in India – Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Rashmi Urdhwardeshe born Rashmi Ranade is an Indian automotive engineer. She is the director of the Automotive Research Association of India. In March 2020 she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar
Padala Bhudevi is an Indian social activist with Savara women to help people to improve entrepreneurship and their family diet. In March 2020 she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Arifa Jan is an Indian activist for felt rug making in Srinagar in Kashmir. Jan was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar on 8 March 2020.
Urmi Basu is an Indian activist who has been protecting sex workers in Kolkata. In 2019 she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar - the highest award for women in India.
Sunita Devi is an Indian mason honoured for building toilets. In her village 90% of the women did not have access to a toilet. After her work they all now have access. She was given the Nari Shakti Puraskar award in 2019 by the President of India.
Basanti Devi is an Indian environmentalist. She has been concerned with preserving trees in Uttarakhand. She was awarded the highest award for women in India, the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2016.
Karthyayani Amma is an Indian woman who passed a literacy examination with top marks at the age of 96.She received the Nari Shakti Puraskar award the highest civilian award for a woman by the Govt. of India.
Kagganapalli Radha Devi is an Indian activist who successfully protested against a Hindu temple which would only employ male barbers. The Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala, which gathers over a ton of hair every day, agreed to also employ female barbers to carry out the ritual tonsuring. Devi received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of her work.
Urmila Balavant Apte is the Indian Founder of the BhartiyaStree Shakti organisation in 1988 which is dedicated to the empowerment of women. She received the Nari Shakti Puraskar from President Ram Nath Kovind in 2018 for her work.
Manju Manikuttan is an Indian beautician and social worker. She rescued people who had been conned to be come servants in Arabia. She was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar which is the highest award for women in India.
A. Seema is an Indian scientist from Kerala who led a team that developed a bra that indicates whether the person wearing it has breast cancer. After it was sent for commercial development, she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2019 for her work.
Kshetrimayum Indira Devi, known as Chirom Indira, is an Indian entrepreneur, designer, and social worker.
Rekha Mishra is an Indian police officer from Railway Protection Force(RPF) who was recognised for finding hundreds of lost children. She was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2018.
K. Syamalakumari aka Syamala Kumari is an Indian temple painter. This was an occupation traditionally carried out by men. Her work includes painting at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala. She has been awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Dr. M.S. Sunil is an Indian Academician, Humanist and Philanthropist known for housing the homeless. She founded Dr. M.S. Sunil Foundation in December, 2016 in Pathanamthitta, with five trust members and six volunteers. Her works focuses to uplift the living conditions of impoverished families/ communities, her philanthropist and non- profit programmes aim to provide safe houses and healthy food to build a compassionate environment with enlightened mind on renewable energy and conservation of natural habitat by including every communities including Tribal and socially underprivileged with less or no inequality. She was acknowledged by the Government of India and was the recipient of many honours, including the Nari Shakti Puraskar- 2017 which is considered as the Government of India's highest civilian honour for women.
Bhageerathi Amma was an Indian woman who lived in the Kollam district of Kerala. She came to national attention when she returned to education at the age of 105. She was honoured with the Nari Shakti Puraskar the highest civilian award for women by Govt of India from the President of India and prime ministerNarendra Modi singled her out for praise.