Padmaja Naidu | |
|---|---|
| 4thGovernor of West Bengal | |
| In office 3 November 1956 – 1 June 1967 | |
| Preceded by | Phani Bhusan Chakravartti(acting) |
| Succeeded by | Dharma Vira |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 November 1900 Hyderabad, Hyderabad State, British India |
| Died | 2 May 1975 (aged 74) New Delhi, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress[1][2] |
| Parent(s) | Mutyala Govindrajulu Naidu Sarojini Naidu |
| Occupation | Politician |
Padmaja Naidu (17 November 1900 – 2 May 1975) was an Indian freedom fighter and politician who was the 4th Governor of West Bengal from 3 November 1956 to 1 June 1967. She was the daughter ofSarojini Naidu.
Padmaja Naidu was born inHyderabad to aTeluguBalija father and aBengali Brahmin mother.[3] Her mother was the poet and Indian freedom fighter,Sarojini Naidu. Her father Mutyala Govindrajulu Naidu was a physician.[4] She had four siblings, Jayasurya, Leelamani, Nilawar and Randheer.[5]
At the age of 21, she co-founded theIndian National Congress in the Nizam ruledprincely state ofHyderabad. She was jailed for taking part in the "Quit India" movement in 1942. After Independence, she was elected to the Indian Parliament in 1950. In 1956 she was appointed the Governor ofWest Bengal.[6] She was also associated with theRed Cross and was the chairperson of theIndian Red Cross from 1971 to 1972.[7]
Early in her life, Padmaja was a close friend ofRuttie Petit who marriedMuhammad Ali Jinnah, later the founder ofPakistan.[8]Padmaja Naidu had a close relationship with the Nehru family, including withJawaharlal Nehru and his sister,Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.[9] Pandit later toldPupul Jayakar,Indira Gandhi's friend and biographer, that Padmaja Naidu and Nehru lived together for many years. Nehru did not marry Padmaja because he did not want to hurt his daughter, Indira.[10][11] However, Padmaja never married Nehru in the hope that he would propose one day.[12][8]After retiring, Padmaja lived until her death in 1975 in a bungalow on theTeen Murti Bhavan estate, Prime Minister Nehru's official residence and later a museum dedicated to his memory.[5]
ThePadmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park inDarjeeling was named after her death.
Sarojini was a Brahmin and a Bengali, while Dr Naidu was from the Balija community and a Telugu
Kumari Sarojini chattopadhyaya at 19 years, married Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu of Hyderabad, a non brahmin who belonged to Balija community.
Sarojini's marriage to Dr naidu did not create an uproar among either the Telugu Balija clan to which Dr Naidu belonged or among the Bengali subcaste of Kulin Brahmins to which Sarojini's family belonged.
