A 'Mother of Social Work in India' and a "Legend among women in her life­ time", Dr  (Mrs)  Durgabai  Deshmukh was at once a freedom-fighter, planner, administrator, educationist, social reformer and parliamentarian.

Born in a middle-class  Andhra family, even at the tender age of 12, she came under the magic spell of Mahatma  Gandhi; boycotted English-teaching school,  made a bon fire of her foreign clothings, took to charkha and joined  Hindi  Rashtra  Bhasha Prachar  Movement. She started Balika Hindi  Pathshala  in  1922. Moved  by  the plight  of  Devadasis  and  Burqa-clad   women of Kakinada, she led  hundreds of them to Bapuji. Her capacity to lead and an  indomitable  spirit  to  fight   oppression was  once again tested during the Salt Satyagraha in Madras in 1930's, when she succeeded Shri T.  Prakasham as  its 'dictator', organised processions, was lathi-charged  and  thrice jailed.

On her release in 1933, she took to her education and obtained  B.A. (Hons) and M.A.  (Pol.  Sc.)  and  B.L.  degrees. In 1937, she founded Andhra Mahila Sabha in Madras,  which today runs two hospitals, an orthopaedic centre, two colleges, three High Schools and functional literacy projects. As President  of  Blind  Relief Association,  Delhi,  she set up a school­ hostel  and a light  engineering  workshop for  them. She carried her fight for the poor and weak as a Member of Parliament by getting enacted a number of social laws and mustered support for a national policy on social. welfare in the Planning Commission as its Member; the result was the setting up of the Central Social Welfare Board on 13th August 1953 : she became its founder Chairman and mobilised thousands of voluntary organisations and workers to carry out the programmes of the Board, aiming at education, training and rehabilitation of the  needy women, children and the handicapped. Another feather in her  cap is the founding of Council  for  Social  Development at New Delhi.

On 22nd January, 1953 she married Dr C. D. Deshmukh, the then Finance Minister, Government of India.

She was honoured for her outstanding contribution to the cause of Peace, Social Welfare, Literacy and work among the downtrodden by national and international agencies. She won Nehru Literacy Award,. Paul G. Hoffman Award, UNESCO Award for outstanding work in the field. of Literacy and was decorated with Padma Vibhushan.

Indian Posts & Telegraphs Department is privileged to issue a commemorative stamp in her honour.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India