Biography:Sophia Wadia
Sophia Wadia, née Sophia Camacho, was a Colombian-born naturalized Indian theosophist, littérateur, the founder of PEN All India Centre and the founder editor of its journal, The Indian PEN.[1][2] She also cofounded The Indian Institute of World Culture, Bengaluru[3] and the Asian Book Trust, Mumbai.[2] The Government of India honoured Wadia in 1960, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for her services to the nation.[4]
Biography
Sophia Camacho was born in 1901 in Colombia and did her education in her motherland, Paris, London and New York.[5] In 1927, she met B. P. Wadia, an Indian theosophist on tour to European countries,[6] was influenced by his philosophy and married him in 1928. The next year, she went to India with her spouse and got involved in his activities.[1] The Wadias founded several branches of the United Lodge of Theosophists in various places in Europe[1] and founded the first Indian branch in Mumbai in 1929.[6]
The couple founded the All India Centre of the International P.E.N. in Mumbai in 1930[7] and launched two journals, The India PEN and The Aryan Path.[5] Sophia was the editor of The India Pen and remained in that position till her death.[5] In 1945, she established The Indian Institute of World Culture in 1945 at Basavanagudi, near Bengaluru in the South Indian state of Karnataka.[3] During this period, she published two books, The Brotherhood of Religions[8] in 1936 and Preparation for Citizenship[9] in 1941, the latter with foreword by Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore.[2] The second edition of The Brotherhood of Religions came out in 1944 with foreword written by Mahatma Gandhi.[2] She was also instrumental in the establishment of Asian Book Trust in Mumbai[2] which later published her husband's renowned work, The Gandhian Way.[10]
Sophia Wadia continued her social life after her husband's death in 1958[6] and organized eleven All India Writers' Conferences.[2] The Government of India awarded her the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1960.[4]
Global policy
She was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting a world constitution.[11][12] As a result, for the first time in human history, a World Constituent Assembly convened to draft and adopt the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.[13]
Death
She died on 27 April 1986, at the age of 85.[2]
See also
- United Lodge of Theosophists
- The Indian Institute of World Culture
- PEN International
- Theosophism
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rosemary Marangoly George (2013). Indian English and the Fiction of National Literature. Cambridge University Press. pp. 294. ISBN 9781107729551. https://books.google.com/books?id=RtdGAgAAQBAJ&q=sophia+wadia&pg=PA218.
- ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Nissim Ezekiel (July 1986). "Madame Sophia Wadia: 'Friend, Philosopher and Guide'". Indian Literature 29 (4(114)): 146–148.
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 "IIWC". IIWC. 2015. http://www.iiwcindia.org/.
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 "Padma Shri". Padma Shri. 2015. http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf.
- ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Blavatsky Theosophy Group". Blavatsky Theosophy Group. 2015. http://blavatskytheosophy.com/theosophy-and-the-brotherhood-of-religions/.
- ↑ Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Teosofiskakompaniet". Teosofiskakompaniet. 2015. http://www.teosofiskakompaniet.net/BPWadiaBiografi.htm.
- ↑ "Pen International". Pen International. 2015. http://www.pen-international.org/centres/all-india-centre/.
- ↑ Sophia Wadia (1936). The Brotherhood of Religions. International Book House. pp. 288.
- ↑ Sophia Wadia (1941). Preparation for Citizenship. International Book House. pp. 79.
- ↑ "Raja Yoga Books". Raja Yoga Books. 2015. http://www.rajayogabooks.com/products/the-gandhian-way.
- ↑ "Letters from Thane Read asking Helen Keller to sign the World Constitution for world peace. 1961". American Foundation for the Blind. https://www.afb.org/HelenKellerArchive?a=d&d=A-HK01-07-B149-F04-022.1.8.
- ↑ "Letter from World Constitution Coordinating Committee to Helen, enclosing current materials". American Foundation for the Blind. https://www.afb.org/HelenKellerArchive?a=d&d=A-HK01-07-B154-F05-028.1.6.
- ↑ "Preparing earth constitution | Global Strategies & Solutions | The Encyclopedia of World Problems". http://encyclopedia.uia.org/en/strategy/193465.
Further reading
- Sophia Wadia (1936). The Brotherhood of Religions. International Book House. pp. 288.
- Sophia Wadia (1941). Preparation for Citizenship. International Book House. pp. 79.
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