Sophia Wadia | |
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| Born | 1901 (1901) Colombia |
| Died | 27 April 1986(1986-04-27) (aged 84–85) India |
| Other names | Sophia Camacho |
| Occupation(s) | Theosophist, literateur |
| Spouse | B. P. Wadia |
| Awards | Padma Shri |
Sophia Wadia, néeSophia Camacho, was aColombian-born naturalized Indiantheosophist, littérateur, the founder ofPEN All India Centre and the founder editor of its journal,The Indian PEN.[1][2] She also cofoundedThe Indian Institute of World Culture,Bangalore (now Bengaluru)[3] and the Asian Book Trust, Bombay (now Mumbai).[2] TheGovernment of India honoured Wadia in 1960, with the award ofPadma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award, for her services to the nation.[4]
Sophia Camacho was born in 1901 in Colombia and did her education in her motherland, Paris, London and New York.[5] In 1927, she metB. P. Wadia, an Indian theosophist on tour to European countries,[6] was influenced by his philosophy and married him in 1928. The next year, she went to India with her spouse and got involved in his activities.[1] The Wadias founded several branches of theUnited Lodge of Theosophists in various places in Europe[1] and founded the first Indian branch in Mumbai in 1929.[6]
The couple founded theAll India Centre of the International P.E.N. in Mumbai in 1930[7] and launched two journals,The India PEN andThe Aryan Path.[5] Sophia was the editor ofThe India Pen and remained in that position till her death.[5] In 1945, she establishedThe Indian Institute of World Culture in 1945 atBasavanagudi, nearBengaluru in the South Indian state ofKarnataka.[3] During this period, she published two books,The Brotherhood of Religions[8] in 1936 andPreparation for Citizenship[9] in 1941, the latter with foreword by Nobel Laureate,Rabindranath Tagore.[2] The second edition ofThe Brotherhood of Religions came out in 1944 with foreword written byMahatma Gandhi.[2] She was also instrumental in the establishment ofAsian Book Trust in Mumbai[2] which later published her husband's renowned work,The Gandhian Way.[10]
Sophia Wadia continued her social life after her husband's death in 1958[6] and organized eleven All India Writers' Conferences.[2] TheGovernment of India awarded her the civilian honour ofPadma Shri in 1960.[4]
She was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting aworld constitution.[11][12] As a result, for the first time in human history, aWorld Constituent Assembly convened to draft and adopt theConstitution for the Federation of Earth.[13]
She died on 27 April 1986, at the age of 85.[2]
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