Pandita Ramabai Establishing the Mukti Mission

Pandita Ramabai was one of India’s most influential women reformers. She paved the way for the welfare and education of Indian widows and defied various social norms to emerge as a champion of women's rights throughout the country.

On February 1, 1889, Ramabai returned to India, and within a month, established Sharada Sadan, or the ‘Home of Learning’ in Bombay with 2 students. Under the Mukti Mission, the school quickly grew, and transferred to Poona. In 1891, the school began to face controversy as Indian reformers began to condemn Ramabai for preaching Christianity to students. Despite the condemnation, the school was a resounding success.

Ramabai also bought a vast expanse of 100 acres at Kedgoan, 55 kilometres beyond Poona, and named it Mukti Sadan, wherein 260 girls sought shelter during the famine in Madhya Pradesh. More buildings were added to Mukti Sadan over the years, including a Kripa Sadan to house destitute women, a separate home for boys, and separate classrooms for the blind. In 1901, Ramabai obtained a printing press for Mukti, and issues of the ‘Mukti Prayer Bell’ were henceforth published. This paved way for the school students to further spread the spirit of Christianity.