Pandita Ramabai, Ramabai Dongre was born into a religious Brahmin family and spent almost a decade studying the Hindu scriptures counter to the then normative Indian practice. She excelled in every learning area and was awarded the title of ‘Pandita’ (meaning scholarly) for her mastery over the Sanskrit scriptures. However, after the death of her husband, she was abused by her husband’s family.

Biography:
Birth: 23-04-1858
Death: 05-04-1922
Native Place: Maharashtra
Country: India
Place of Vision: India

Hence, she left for Pune, where she started working among other widows, teaching them life skills to liberate them from the clutches of societal abuse and social persecution.

During this time, she was invited to a women’s conference in England, where her eyes were opened to the Gospel message.

Pandita Ramabai ministry in Maharastra, India
There she heard a detailed exposition of a passage from the Bible, where Jesus dares the religious leaders to confront their own sins before confronting the woman who was caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). She at once knew Jesus Christ to be the greatest liberator of women not only physically but spiritually. She was baptized in England and was rechristened as Mary.

Empowered by the emancipating message of Christ, she became an advocate for the liberating love of Christ in her home country. She founded the ‘Mukti Mission’ in 1889 to champion the cause of the disabled and widows in India. Ramabai clung to the personhood of Jesus, depicting his love and grace to thousands of people whom society had judged unworthy of value.

She remained undeterred in her faith in Christ in the face of severe backlash from the Indian society regarding her conversion. She toured the villages in Maharashtra on bullock carts and rescued thousands of orphans, widows, and destitute through Mukti Mission, which is still actively upholding her vision. Christ’s message of salvation had set her free as a young woman, and she extended that message of freedom until she died in 1922.