Beenapani Shorkar, 90, lives in Masterpara in the northern town of Joypurhat. Her family originally lived in Polashi in West Bengal, where Sirajuddowlah fought and lost. Her father was a successful businessman who fell out with the local British rulers and quit Polashi for Shodpur. Beenapani’s brothers were committed leftists who fought in the struggle to kick out the colonial power. Inspired by her brothers, she too participated in the independence movement, and played a role in educating and raising awareness among local women.

At the age of 22, she got married to Kumud Bihari, a Congress activist from Joypurhat. Although they shared different political beliefs, this did not overshadow their marriage. Beenapani has been working for the community ever since she moved to Joypurhat 68 years ago. In particular, she has educated several generations of poor kids in her own home, the majority of them children of the indigenous Santal and Buna tribes who live nearby. For those kids who can’t afford it, she buys textbooks and pays exam registration fees, even though her family is no longer affluent. Having run the local ladies’ recreation club for many years, she is on friendly terms with many of the town’s richer womenfolk and she has never shrunk away from commandeering their support for her various charitable causes. Ever-friendly, ever-smiling Beenapani Shorkar is a household name in Joypurhat.

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Translation: Zubaer
Background by Farhan