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Women's University About the year 1915
he get by post the book, 'Japanese Women's University'? As he was going through that book
he drew up an outline for an 'Indian Women's University'. The University was to have these
objectives: (1) to give women education which would develop their personalities; (2) to
equip them to become wives and mothers if they married and (3) to educate them to
participate as citizens in nation building. He visited Bombay, Ahmedabad, and Madras,
Bangalore, Salem and other places and made speeches explaining the need for a Women's
University, he met people and collected funds. The Indian Women's University was
established in 1916 in the Mahilashram of Hingne.
Again Karve wandered from place to place with a begging
bowl. Within four years, the University had a balance of over two lakh rupees, after
meeting all expenses.
One special feature of the University was that the mother
tongue was the medium of instruction. If a student has to learn through another language
and not through his mother tongue, it will be a needless burden. Karve had realized that
only the mother tongue is the easiest means of acquiring knowledge.
Large funds are required to run a huge organization like a
university. Karve was constantly touring to collect funds. Sir Vithaldas Thackersey of
Bombay was a very rich and generous man. He was always ready to help men of genius in the
country. When he visited the women's university in Japan he remembered the university
established by Karve. When he returned from his world tour he said he would donate fifteen
lakh rupees to the Indian Women's University. The name of the Indian Women's University
was changed to 'Shreemati Nathibai Thackersey Indian Women's University'. (Shreemati
Nathibai was Vithaldas's mother.) |
