Pandita Ramabai was the daughter of a Sanskrit scholar for western India and belonged to caste of Brahmans. She became highly proficient in the Hindu texts. By the age of twelve, Ramabai got married to Madhavi, a graduate of Calcutta University. It is to be noticed that she married outside of her caste, to a lower caste boy. And at that time, when strict Hindu ideology was followed by whole India in which outside caste marriage was not accepted by the society. The couple had liberal views and rejected Hindu orthodoxy. They had a girl child when Madhavi (husband) died and thus led Ramabai to start her career as an Indian widow. Now, because she had married outside of her caste which was not approved by her parents, she was on her own after the death of her husband. Nobody came to help her out. So, Ramabai became active in the reformist group and began speaking out on poor women's education, condemning child marriage and urged for women education in Sanskrit and local language. She formed a women's association in Pune because of which see was honored with the title of "Pandit". .
From the proceeds of her book, "Moral law for women" she traveled to England, lived with sister of St. Mary's Home. Here she converted to Christianity in 1883 and taught Sanskrit at Cheltenham ladies college. It is hard for me to understand, Ramabai's conversion to Christianity. Was this because her religious ideology was different than what was followed in India then? Or, was she trying to become a part of her new found way of life in England? We know she was opposed to Hindu castism and so called orthodoxy society as she married a lower caste boy, against society and parents will.
After a few years Ramabai went to Philadelphia and wrote a book which focused to the high caste Hindu woman. In this she discussed about discriminatory aspects of Hinduism, child marriage, widow's status and lack of education for women.
