Mary Clubwalla Jadhav

Mary Jadhav (; 1909–1975), also known as Mary Clubwala Jadhav, was an Indian philanthropist who has been awarded Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan, one of the India's highest civilian honors for her social work.

She founded many NGOs in Chennai and across India, and is often credited with setting up the oldest organized social-work bodies in the country. Her organization Guild of Service operates more than a dozen units related to orphanages, female literacy, the care and rehabilitation of disabled people, etc.

Early life

Mary was born on 10 June 1909 in Ootacamund in the then Madras Presidency to Rustom Patel and Allamai, member of the 300-strong Parsi community of Madras city. She was schooled in Madras and married Nogi Clubwala at the age of 18. They had a son, Khusro, in 1930. Nogi Clubwala died due to an illness in 1935. After this she devoted herself to social work. She later remarried to Major Chandrakant K Jadhav, an Indian army officer who was also working in the same areas of social work.

Activities In 1942, with World War II raging, Clubwala founded the Indian Hospitality Committee with helpers drawn mostly from the Guild of Service.

She started Madras School of Social work in 1952, the first school of social work in South India and second in India (after Tata Institute of Social Sciences-Mumbai). She also honored the Duke of Edinburgh on his visit to Madras (now Chennai) in 1961.

On her 110th birth anniversary, Guild of Service announced that they'll release a book on her life and that of the guild. Padma Shri (1955) Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honor of India (1975).