Uma Chakravarti

Born on 20th August 1941 in Delhi, Uma Chakravarti was an active and diligent student who finished high school at Delhi Public School and graduated from Mount Carmel College in Bangalore. She studied at the College of Law, Bangalore, and completed her master’s at Benaras Hindu University. Before she entered the Indian cinematic scene, Uma Chakravarti was a professor teaching at the Miranda House in Delhi, where she taught vigorously for 32 years (1966-1998), during which she wrote seven books and over fifty research articles. It was during this period that she began to write extensively on Indian history, focusing on issues related to discrimination between the genders, castes, and classes.

Apart from this, Chakravarti also dealt with the history of Buddhism and ancient India. She wrote her first book, titled ‘Social Dimensions of Early Buddhism’ (1987), as part of her doctorate study. This was followed by her other notable works: ‘Rewriting History: The Life and Times of Pandita Ramabai’ (1998) and ‘Gendering Caste Through a Feminist Lens’ (2002). As a child, Uma Chakravarti loved watching old films with her mother and six siblings. This memory had a significant impact on her, but it was not until her lecturing days as a professor at the Miranda House that she began to invest her time into filmmaking. She recalls her love for the 1953 film ‘Do Bigha Zamin,’ and the influence she gained from this is reflected in her 2021 film ‘Ye Lo Bayaan Hammare (And We Were There From 1967-1977): a coming-of-age movie dealing with the passion and ideals of young Indian women in the political scenario set in the 1960s.

It can be noted that most of her works deal with issues relating to women’s stand in the patriarchal society. Chakravarti went on to film four documentaries- A Quiet Little Entry (2016), Fragments of a Past (2012), Ek Inquilab Aur Aaya: Lucknow 1920-1949 (2017), and lastly, Prison Diaries (2019). A human rights activist, a feminist, a teacher, a historian, a writer, and a filmmaker, Uma Chakravarti solidifies her position as one of the most outstanding female figures in the history of India.