Daya Bai

Daya Bai is an Indian social activist who works for the upliftment of Indian tribals and fights for quality education for the children of tribal people. Born as Mercy Mathew in 1940 in a Christian family, Daya Bai was born to Matthew and Elikutty and brought up in Pala, Kerala, as the eldest of fourteen children. Coming from an affluent family, Daya Bai has been taught high values and virtues since childhood, and she had an enormous belief in God. Her faith in God made her wanting to become a nun.

She did her schooling at Kochukottaram Lower Primary School and later shifted to St. Joseph High School. After her eleventh grade, Daya Bai left for Hazaribag, Jharkhand, to become a nun in a convent when she was sixteen years old. She moved to the place with the motive of serving the poor. But the bitter experiences Daya Bai faced in the convent made her change her mind. Yet, she didn’t want to return home, and so she worked as a teacher in a village in Bihar. For some time, Daya Bai wandered around places and worked in many orphanages. She has also served the refugees of Bangladesh during the war.

Finally, she reached the Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh and worked with the Gonds. That’s how her more than a six-decade journey with the tribals began. Also, Daya Bai is a highly educated person with a B. Sc degree, M. Sc degree, Bachelor’s degree in law, followed by many more diplomas. Getting close to the tribal people was not easy as Daya Bai expected. But she won their trust by dressing like them. On her association with the tribal, she realized they were deprived of proper education and healthcare. So, Daya Bai became their voice and fought for their rights. On her consistent appeal, the tribals also got to enjoy quality education and healthcare. Not just stooping with this, she also goes around teaching the tribal kids. Daya Bai was instrumental in setting up a school in Barul village West Bengal.

Daya Bai extended her full support to the victims of Endosulfan in Kerala by holding protests, hunger strikes, campaigns, etc. Many people have subjected her to threats, but she still stands for the tribal people and keeps providing for their good. In 2007, Daya Bai won the Vanitha Woman of the Year Award, and in 2012, she received the Good Samaritan National Award. The life story of Daya Bai has been made into a documentary called Ottayal and has also released a biopic on her named Daya Bai. Daya Bai has made her acting debut with the Malayalam film Kanthan – The Lover Of Colour, which discusses social issues.