Godavari Parulekar

Godavari Parulekar (14 August 1907 – 8 October 1996) was a freedom fighter, writer, and social activist. She was influenced by Marxist and Communist ideologies and spent her life fighting for the farmers and working class. She was married to Shamrao Parulekar, another freedom fighter and activist with the same ideologies.

Early life Godavari Gokhale was born on 14 August 1907 in Pune. Her father Laxmanrao Gokhale was a renowned lawyer. She received a good education, since she was born in a well-to-do family. She graduated from Fergusson College and then studied law, becoming the first woman law graduate in Maharashtra. She participated in individual Satyagrahas and was imprisoned for that in 1932. This did not go with her moderate family, who was comfortable with the British rule. She left the house and decided to join social service in Mumbai. Godavari married Shamrao Parulekar in 1939.

She then devoted her life to the struggle of the Warli Community in Thane, who was being pushed into forced and bonded labour by wealthy landlords. The Warli women were being raped by landlords, and accused of witchcraft and killed. She led the Warli Adivasi Revolt from 1945 to 1947 along with her husband Shamrao. She documented the movements in her book Jewha Manus Jaga Hoto (The Awakening of Man).

After independence also Godavari kept fighting for the rights of Warlis and Adivasis. She founded the Adivasi Pragati Mandal (Tribal Progress Council) with Shamrao in 1961.

Founding the CPI (M) in Thane District The Communist Party of thane broke in 1964. almost the entire Party in Thane district, led by the Parulekars, unswervingly came over to the CPI(M) Communist Party of India (Marxist). Both Shamrao and Godavari were among the 163 leaders of the Party in Maharashtra who were then in jail. Shamrao and Godavari were elected to the state secretariat..

Later life After Shamrao’s death in 1965, Godavari continued to lead the CPI (M). In 1986, she became the first female president of the All India Kisan Sabha.

She died on 8 October 1996.

Written works Godavari captured her struggles in her books. Her most popular book is Jewha Manus Jaga Hoto (The Awakening of Man). It was published in 1970, and received the Sahitya Akademi award in 1972. It also won the Jawaharlal Nehru Award and the Soviet Land Award. It has been translated into many languages, including English and Japanese.

Her other books are: Adivasi revolt: the story of Warli peasants in struggle and Bandivasachi aath varsh (Eight Years of Imprisonment)

Recognition Godavari was given the Lokmanya Tilak Award and the Savitribai Phule Award for her service towards the marginalized and downtrodden communities in India.