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On February 1, 2018, Google honoured Indian poetess Kamala Das with a colourful doodle. This is not the first time when internet giant has held female Indian writers in high esteem. In fact, Google with its catchy doodles has helped Indian language writers of the yore by introducing them to present-day young netizens. The doodle way of remembering cultural icons is also a delight for the fans and lovers of the artists honoured.
A noticeable and remarkable aspect of these Google doodles has been the choice of women cultural icons from India and the subcontinent. Here’s a list of five such extraordinary Indian women honoured in recent past.
1. Kamala Das
Google claims that February 1 marks the publication date of Kamala Das’s autobiography titled “My Story” released in 1976. Kamala Das, who came from a family of journalists and writers, was fluent in three languages and originally wrote her autobiography in English and later translated it in Malayalam. Her famous quote, “I speak in three languages, write in two, dream in one” says a lot about writers trying to express themselves in multiple languages. The Doodle write-up on her describes her work as “unflinching and passionate” and says that “her work provides a window into the world of an engrossing woman.”
2. Mahasweta Devi
On January 14, 2018, Google honoured Mahasweta Devi, the author of over 100 novels and 20 short story collections by having a doodle made by Mumbai illustrator Onkar Fondekar. Mahasweta Devi was a brilliant example of a writer with social consciousness. She was awarded two of India’s highest civilian awards - Padma Shri and Padma Vibhusan, for her social work. For her literary merits, she was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award and Jnanpith award among many other accolades.
3. Homai Vyarawalla
On December 9, 2017, Doodle honoured Homai Vyarawalla, also known as India’s first female photojournalist. Homai is credited with clicking some of the best and most important photos in India in the 20th century. Mumbai artist Sameer Kulavoor was the man behind creating this particular doodle.
Homai was born in Navsari, Gujarat in 1913 and moved to Mumbai then Bombay earned an art degree and became a professional photographer. She is remembered as India’s “First Lady Of The Lens”.
4. Begum Rokeya
Google featured a second doodle on December 9, 2017, as they chose to pay tribute to Begum Rokeya. Rokeya, in the doodle description, is described as “the pioneer in Bengali feminist thinking and writing”. She was born in present-day Bangladesh in 1980 and was an ardent advocate of female education in her country.
Begum’s most well-known work is Sultana’s Dream. The story was a science fiction based on feminist utopia. She also established the first school for Bengali Muslim women in Calcutta. Begum dedicated her entire life to the cause of women rights. It was indeed a great choice by Google to have a Doodle on this courageous woman.
5. Rukhmabai Raut
On November 22, 2017, Doodle honoured Rukhmabai Raut. Fighting stereotypes and diseases, she was an activist and a doctor. She was one of the first women to practice medicine in India. Raut studied at the London School of Medicine for Women and came back to India. Rukhmabai served at a hospital in Surat for 35 years as the chief medical officer. Raut also fought against child marriage and is an inspiration for the society for a long time to come.
Imagine seeing the face of your favourite writer or musician the first thing on Google’s homepage? Wouldn’t that make our day a tad better? Or visiting Google to find an answer to a question and end up learning about a remarkable personality and a new world altogether. The web search engine is making this possible by putting up a creative doodle about a remarkable personality every single time.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2018 05:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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