Annapurna Maharana

Who was Annapurna Maharana?

Annapurna Maharana was an India pro-independence activist active in the Indian independence movement. She was also a prominent social and women's rights activist. Maharana was a close ally of Mohandas Gandhi.

Maharana was born in Odisha on November 3, 1917, the second child of Rama Devi and Gopabandhu Choudhury. Both of her parents were active in the Indian independence movement from the United Kingdom. Maharana began actively campaigning for independence when she was fourteen years old, becoming a supporter of Mohandas Gandhi. In 1934, she joined Gandhi on his "Harijan Pada Yatra" march through Odisha from Puri to Bhadrak. Maharana was arrested several times by British and British Raj, including August 1942 during the Quit India Movement civil disobedience campaign.

Following independence, Maharana advocated on behalf of women and children in India. She opened a school in Odisha's Rayagada district for the children of the area's tribal population. Maharana also became involved with the Bhoodan movement, or Land Gift Movement, started by Vinoba Bhave. She further campaigned to integrate the Dacoits active of the Chambal Valley.