From Purdah To The People- Memoirs Of Padma Shri Rani Laxmi Kumari Chundawat

The story of Rani Laxmi Kumari Chundawat is the saga of the transformation that India itself underwent from a feudal society to a modern and democratic one. The freedom process telescoped centuries within decades. Time became intensely dense. An unprecedented social, political and moral fervour gripped the country. Rani Laxmi Kumari Chundawat absorbed all its energy only to radiate it back in the brilliance and splendour of her multifaceted personality.

She combines the warmth and sincerity of the olden days with the dynamism and result orientation of today. Her public life was one of commitment and service. Her achievements never made her pretentious. Like a perceptive statesman she knew when to pass on her mantle to a new generation. All the humdrum of political life could not drown her creativity or deaden her sensitivity. Her profuse writings on varied subjects are testimony to it. Hers is a singular contribution in bringing to light and preserving Rajasthani folklore and song.

A woman! A Rajput rani! A Congress ticket!' The year was 1957, only a decade since Indian independence. The astonishing news that in still feudal Rajasthan, Rani Laxmi Kumari Chundawat was leaving purdah to contest for a seat in the state's Legislative Assembly spread throughout the state. It was hard to know which was more shocking, that a Rajput rani would appear in public to campaign or that she was running on a Congress ticket, since the Congress party, the proponent of land reform, was considered by the feudal Rajput landholders to be their greatest enemy. The prospect was startling to all and quite unwelcome to some.

In these memoirs, a remarkable woman who is also a gifted story-teller recounts the story of her adventurous life. By the western calendar Laxmi Kumari Chundawat has lived through most of the twentieth century to see the new century and the new millennium.

**Contents and Sample Pages**