Hannah Sen

Hannah Sen (1894–1957) was an Indian educator, politician, and feminist. She was a member of the first Indian Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) from 1952 to 1957 and the president of the All India Women's Conference in 1951–52. She was a founder and the first director of Lady Irwin College in Delhi. She also represented India at the UN Commission on the Status of Women and at UNESCO, and was an advisor to the Indian government on the rehabilitation of women and children refugees after the Partition of India.

Life and education Hannah Sen was born Hannah Guha, to Pearay Mohan Guha (a lawyer) and Simcha Gubbay, a Baghdadi Jewish woman. Her father later converted to Judaism as well, and Hannah and her three siblings were raised in the Jewish faith. Hannah's sister, Regina Guha, also trained as a lawyer, and fought the first case in India to allow women to enroll as lawyers. In 1925, Hannah married Satish Chandra Sen, a radiologist from Mumbai.

Sen was persuaded to return to India by politician and poet, Sarojini Naidu, to assist in efforts to promote women's education and to participate in the Indian independence movement. She helped to establish the Lady Irwin College in Delhi in 1932, and served as the director of the college until her retirement in 1947.

In 1948, Sen was part of a committee constituted to advise the Government of India on the improvement of secondary education in the country. Between 1952 and 1957, she was a member of the first Rajya Sabha, the upper house in India's Parliament. She assisted the ministry with rehabilitation efforts directed at women and child refugees following the Partition of India. Sen was an associate of several leaders in the Indian independence movement, and was closely involved with the organisation and planning of the funeral of Mahatma Gandhi, notably intervening when mourners objected to American photographer Margaret Bourke-White's photography of the funeral. Sen escorted Bourke-White from the funeral and requested her to refrain from using flash photography to prevent disruption of the funeral. Bourke-White did not honor Sen's request, and was eventually required to leave the funeral.

After her retirement from teaching, Sen also participated in international feminist organizations and initiatives. She was an observer at the All India Conference of Social Work in New York, 1948, and represented Indian interests at the United Nations Commissions on the Status of Women in 1950–51. She was also part of the Indian delegation to the International Union for Child Welfare, in London, 1950, and a member of the Indian delegation to UNESCO in Paris, 1951. Sen was also closely involved with the Jewish community in Delhi, and donated funds for the establishment of a synagogue in Delhi.