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Irawati Karve leads a life that stands apart from the people around her.
Born in British-ruled India, and at a time when women did not have many rights or freedoms, Karve did the unexpected: she pursued higher studies in a foreign country, becoming the first female college professor and anthropologist in India.
She also married the man of her choice, swam in a bathing suit, drove a scooter and even dared to reject the racist hypothesis of her doctoral supervisor – a famous German anthropologist named Eugen Fischer.
His writings on Indian culture and civilization and the caste system are groundbreaking, and form part of the curriculum in Indian universities. But he remains an obscure figure in history and much about his life remains unknown.
A new book titled Iru: The Remarkable Life of Irawati Karve, written by her granddaughter Urmilla Deshpande and academic Thiago Pinto Barbosa, describes her interesting life, and the many obstacles she braved to blaze an inspiring path for women, and men, who came after her. .
Born in 1905 in Burma (now Myanmar), Irawati was named after the Irrawaddy river. The only girl among six siblings, she was loved by her family and raised in comfort.
But the young girl’s life took an unexpected turn, resulting in experiences that would shape her as a person. In addition to strong women, Irawati’s life also crossed paths with empathetic, progressive men who paved the way for him to break barriers and cheered him on as he did so.
At seven, Irawati was sent to a boarding school in Pune – a rare opportunity from her father when most girls were forced into marriage. In Pune, she met RP Paranjpye, a renowned educationist whose family unofficially adopted Irawati and raised her as their own.
In the Paranjpye household, Irawati is exposed to a way of life that celebrates critical thinking and righteous living, even if it means going against the grain of Indian society. Paranjpye, whom Irawati called her “appa” or “second father”, was a man far ahead of his time.
