Hannah Ratnam Krishnama @ Kamala Sathianathan
Nivedita Louis
1898...
Senate House, Madras University.
The Graduation Ceremony is underway. The names are called out and students are escorted onstage to collect their certificates. The lone woman in the student row sits calm and poised, though her insides are reeling. As her name is called out, she steadies herself and is escorted by the tall, handsome lecturer from Presidency College to the dais. They were engaged to wed a couple of weeks ago on the condition that she should earn her degree before the wedding. The poor woman was turning beet red as the audience roared and clapped for her. The fact that she was the first woman undergraduate of Madras University and the whole of South India never sank in then. “I just wanted the ground underneath open up and swallow me”, the lady would later reminisce to her daughter.
Hannah Ratnam Krishnama. Born to barrister OSR Krishnama in Masulipatnam of Andhra Pradesh in 1878, Hannah was a studious child. Brought up by her stepmother, having lost her mother at an early age, Hannah’s only goal in life was education. Hannah did extremely well in her studies and completed her BA from Masulipatnam’s Noble College. Known to be subdued and smart, a family acquaintance introduced the family of Sathianathans to the Krishnamas. Reverend WT Sathianathan was a well-known missionary of Madras and his son Samuel Sathianathan was groomed well to take over after his father. Samuel was married to Kirupabai, the aspiring doctor. Kirupabai was proficient in English and penned a couple of novels, including “Kamala”, a favorite novel of Sathianathan. She is India’s first woman novelist in English. She enrolled herself in medical school and started, but unfortunately died of ill health. A grief-stricken Samuel refused remarriage and it took a lot of time and cajoling to move him.
Hannah was 20 years junior to Samuel and the couple finally got married in 1898. Samuel was a born nurturer. He encouraged the newly wedded Hannah to write and the two wrote and published a book, “Stories on Indian Christian Life” in 1899. Hannah moved into The Myrtle Lodge, a palatial house in Royapettah. She loved spending her time tending to Irish linen, fine cutlery, bone China, a small garden in the house. She also spent time learning horse riding, playing tennis, and driving cars. She continued her studies and completed her Masters degree in 1901, the first woman in South India to do so. The couple’s son Bill was born in 1900. A year later daughter Padmini was born.
Sensing her potential, Samuel encouraged her to bring out a magazine exclusively for women in English. Though reluctant at first, Hannah soon started working. She wrote articles in the name Kamala- the name of Kirupabai’s novel Kamala’s protagonist. Samuel himself loved calling her Kamala and the name stuck. The Indian Ladies Magazine, India’s first womens’ magazine edited and published by a woman- Kamala, was launched in 1901.
The magazine was a beautiful bouquet of articles- there were cartoons from ‘drumsticus’- a pseudo name for probably someone known to kamala. Her editorial ‘Friendly Chats’ always spoke of issues concerning women and their status in society. She published poems by Carlyle, Ruskin, Keats, Shelley, and Wilcox. The stars of the country contributed articles to her magazine- Annie Besant, Margret Cousins, Sarojini Naidu, Pandita Ramabai, Cornelia Sorabjee- to name a few. The book had columns for fashion, needlework, cookery, science, and fiction. There were articles explaining Aurora Borealis on one side and articles on maintaining silverware on the other. Kamala also wrote skits. There were series that she wrote, like Detective Janaki, Bibi- a Muslim Girl, Surya Rao’s Ordeal of which Detective Janaki and Surya Rao’s Ordeal were published. She also published the English translation of the novella “Sultana’s Dream”- India’s first science fiction written by a woman- Roqaiya Begum, in 1905.
The entire savings of generations were washed out, this was one of Madras’ worst financial disasters. A twenty-something widow, with two small children to feed and penniless except for the roof over her head- Kamala didn’t give up. She was one of the strong-willed women we can ever come across.
Life was smooth, till 1905. Calamity stuck then, Kamala gave birth to a still-born baby. The very next year, Samuel Sathianathan died on his voyage to Japan. The inconsolable woman’s woes didn’t end there. Samuel had deposited all the family’s savings in Arbuthnot Bank of Madras, which crashed the same year. The entire savings of generations were washed out, this was one of Madras’ worst financial disasters. A twenty-something widow, with two small children to feed and penniless except for the roof over her head- Kamala didn’t give up. She was one of the strong-willed women we can ever come across. She picked her pieces and traveled to a distant Kingdom in interior Andhra, with the two little children, taking up work as English tutor to the junior Rani.
She spent 6 years there, teaching the Rani and her children Bill and Padmini whenever time permitted. Indian Ladies Magazine continued its run, she edited it from Andhra, studiously. Unfortunately, the Queen was involved in a fire accident and stopped taking any lessons. Kamala was sent back to Madras with her children, again jobless. The resilient woman now thought of a different way out sailing to England with her children. Education was her only way to sanity and she clutched on to that last straw. She continued to edit and publish her magazine, taking tuitions for children, and barely managed, but started saving up money for her voyage to greatness. She sold her house, collected whatever money she could, and in 1918, she set sail for England. Indian Ladies Magazine ceased to be published.
England treated the family well. Unable to manage the household with the sale proceeds of her house for a longer time, she took in paying guests, feeding them, and caring for the most Indian students. She also took to writing- it was here that she wrote the book- Lives of Great Men and Great Women of India for Longmans Green. She also wrote Tales of India and of animals, Stories of Ancient India. She was made a member of the Royal Asiatic Society and was on Committees of YWCA and Indian Students’ Hostel. Her dream came true finally when Bill finally passed ICS, and the family set sail back to India in 1923. She wrote the series “My impressions of England” in The Hindu for a year, in 1925.
She was invited to work as Principal of a new school to be started by Mrs. Appaswamy at Pallavaram. The small school started in a tiny bungalow with 6 students. Kamala named it Vidyodaya. Today, Vidyodaya Schools are spread out far and wide. After a short stint for a year in Vidyodaya, Kamala joined her son at Tanjore who was posted as Assistant Collector and from then on, moved wherever he was posted. It was not until 1927, that she started republishing ILM from various locations. She continued her good work till 1938. Her daughter Padmini also worked as sub-editor for the magazine.
She started Women’s Cooperative Societies in Anantpur and Madras. She consolidated various cooperatives in Madras. She worked for establishing separate dairy cooperatives and handloom cooperative societies of women. She also helped establish a Childcare facility at Tirunelveli.
Kamala was made a Senate member of Madras University and Andhra University. She was also Honorary Magistrate at Madras and Vizianagaram courts. She started Women’s Cooperative Societies in Anantpur and Madras. She consolidated various cooperatives in Madras. She worked for establishing separate dairy cooperatives and handloom cooperative societies of women. She also helped establish a Childcare facility at Tirunelveli. Due to failing health, ILM was stopped in 1938 and Kamala breathed her last in 1950, after a prolonged illness.
“After Dr. Samuel Sathianathan’s death in 1906, an Endowment was created by her in the Madras University in his name and the income from that was utilized for the award of a gold medal to the candidate who obtains the highest mark in Ethics in the BA degree examination. I was the first recipient of that medal. It would be a mistake to think that her activities were limited to her own family. In a quiet way, by running an ideal home and by editing a Ladies Magazine, she prepared for the emancipation of women, which is the most significant feature of our time.”
– Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, former President of the country, on Kamala Sathianathan.
Author:
Nivedita Louis
Nivedita is a writer, social and feminist historian. She works on forgotten women, subaltern literature and Christian heritage. She conducts heritage walks and tours through unchartered territories of the city.
