Joann47Q9259 at 02:24, 25 September 2025

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{{short description|Ceylonese-born Indian social worker, writer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Avabai Bomanji Wadia
| image = File:Third International Conference FPA India.jpg
| imagesize = 200
| caption = Avabai Wadia speaking at the Third International Conference 1952. [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]], [[Dhanvanthi Rama Rau]] and [[Margaret Sanger]] in attendance
| birth_date = {{birth date text|18 September 1913}}
| birth_place = [[Colombo]], [[British Ceylon]]
| death_date = {{death-date and age|11 July 2005|18 September 1913}}
| death_place = India
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| othername =
| occupation = Social worker, writer
| yearsactive = 1932–2005
| known for = [[Sexual health]] and [[family planning]] advocacy
| spouse = Bomanji Khurshedji Wadia
| domesticpartner =
| children =
| parents = Dorabji Muncherji<br />Pirojbai Arsiwala Mehta
| website =
| awards = [[Padma Shri]]
}}

'''Avabai Bomanji Wadia''' (18 September 1913 – 11 July 2005) was a Ceylonese-born Indian social worker, writer<ref name="OCLC Classify">{{cite web | url=http://classify.oclc.org/classify2/ClassifyDemo?search-author-txt=%22Wadia%2C+Avabai+B.+(Avabai+Bomanji)%2C+1913-%22 | title=OCLC Classify | publisher=OCLC Classify | date=2015 | access-date=29 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="Worldcat profile">{{cite web | url=http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3AWadia%2C+Avabai+B.%2C&qt=hot_author | title=Worldcat profile | publisher=Worldcat | date=2015 | access-date=29 May 2015}}</ref> and the founder of the [[International Planned Parenthood Federation]] and the [[Family Planning Association of India]], two [[non governmental organisation]]s working to promote [[sexual health]] and [[family planning]].<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia">{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/aug/11/guardianobituaries.india | title=Obituary: Avabai Wadia | publisher=The Guardian | work=Web report | date=11 August 2005 | access-date=29 May 2015 | author=Paul Bell}}</ref><ref name="Woman`s Lifelong Cause Is Global Family Planning">{{cite news | url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1985-12-17-8502270107-story.html | title=Woman's Lifelong Cause Is Global Family Planning | newspaper=The New York Times|via=Sun-Sentinel | date=17 December 1985 | access-date=29 May 2015}}</ref> She was honoured by the [[Government of India]] in 1971 with [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest Indian civilian award.<ref name="Padma Shri">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Shri |publisher=Padma Shri |date=2015 |access-date=11 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life and education===
Avabai was born on 18 September 1913 in [[Colombo]], [[British Ceylon]] ([[Sri Lanka]]), into an affluent and highly westernized [[Parsi]] family with roots in [[Gujarat]], [[India]]. Her father, Dorabji Muncherji, was a well placed shipping officer,<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> and her mother, Pirojbai Arsiwala Mehta, a home-maker. After initial schooling in Colombo, Avabai moved to [[England]] in 1928 (aged 15) and completed her schooling at [[Queens Park Community School|Brondesbury]] and [[Kilburn High School]], London.<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" />

Choosing a career in law, she joined the [[Inns of Court]] in 1932 and enrolled as a lawyer in 1934, becoming the first Sri Lankan woman to succeed in the bar examinations<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> which she passed with honours. She practiced at the [[High Court of Justice]], London for one year (1936–37). As a law student, she had been a part of the [[Commonwealth Countries League]] and the [[International Alliance of Women]], and had participated in several rallies and picketing events. She had also met and mingled with various leaders of the Indian freedom movement, including [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [[Muhammed Ali Jinnah]], and [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], when they visited England.<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> These associations were held against her when she applied to any law firm for a post as junior lawyer. After two years in England, she decided to return home to Colombo in 1939, enrolled at the Supreme Court, and practiced law <ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> from 1939 to 1941.

===Contraception activism===

{{quote box|align = right|width=21em|''Surely, this amounts to a subtle coercion of women to keep on having babies because they do not know of or cannot exercise other options,'' says Avabai Wadia, about the unwanted pregnancies happening to over 500 million women in the developing world.<ref name="Woman`s Lifelong Cause Is Global Family Planning" />}}
[[File:MargaretSanger-Underwood.LOC.jpg|thumb|[[Margaret Sanger]].]]

In 1941, Avabai's father retired from his job and decided to return to his native land. The family moved from Ceylon to India in 1941 and settled in Bombay permanently. Here, Avabai met her future husband, Bomanji Khurshedji Wadia, and they got married on 26 April 1946.<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> The couple were soon estranged, but never legally divorced. Avabai did become pregnant in 1952, but suffered a miscarriage, after which the couple made no further effort to stay together.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

In Mumbai, Avabai joined the [[All India Women's Conference]] and was a feminist and social activist with a focus on contraception.<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> Having inherited a significant fortune upon the death of her father, she founded the [[Family Planning Association of India]] (FPAI) in 1949 and became its president, a post she held for 34 years.<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> Her efforts resulted in the inclusion of "family planning" in the first [[Five-Year Plans of India|five year plan]], which was launched in 1951.<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> India's first prime minister, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] supported Avabai {{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} and it was largely due to her personality and connect with Nehru that contraception became accepted as early as 1951.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} The following year (1952), backed and funded by the Indian government, Avabai organised the Third International Conference on Planned Parenthood which was held in India and gave the opportunity to all the eight associations working in the field to come together. The conference was attended by renowned women's rights activists including [[Margaret Sanger]] and [[Elise Ottesen-Jensen]]. At the conference, the delegates unanimously voted for the formation of the [[International Planned Parenthood Federation]], which took shape shortly afterwards.<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" />

Avabai served on numerous government committees and commissions, combined a rich social life and career, serving as president of the [[International Planned Parenthood Federation|IPPF]] for two terms from 1983 to 1989. It was during her tenure as president that the IPPF received the UN Population Award<ref name="UN Population Award">{{cite web | url=http://www.unfpa.org/united-nations-population-award | title=UN Population Award | publisher=UNFPA | date=2015 | access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> in 1985 and the Third World Prize<ref name="The Third World Prize">{{cite web | url=http://twas.org/opportunities/prizes-and-awards | title=The Third World Prize | publisher=TWAS | date=2015 | access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> in 1987.<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> Avabai was also appointed Justice of Peace in Bombay in 1957 and the magistrate of Juvenile Court in Bombay in 1958.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

Avabai was associated with the [[Family Planning Association of India]] since its inception in 1949 till her death, as a founder member (1949–1953), as its general secretary (1953–1963), as its president (1963–1997) and served as its president emeritus from there onward till her death.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} After serving out her second term as the president of IPPF in 1989, she continued as its patron till 2005.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} She was also a life member of the Women's Graduate Union, [[Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan]] and Maharashtra Women's Council.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} She was the vice president of the [[All India Women's Conference]] for two terms (1956–1958 and 1958–1960), a member of the governing council of the Population Foundation of India and the honorary editor of the ''Journal of Family Welfare''<ref name="Journal of Family Welfare">{{cite web | url=http://medind.nic.in/jah/jahm.shtml | title=Journal of Family Welfare | publisher=Med India | date=2015 | access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> since 1956.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} She wrote extensively on the subjects of sexual health and family planning and some of her publications are:
* Population Education for the Younger Generation<ref name="Population Education for the Younger Generation">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kl0lcgAACAAJ | title=Population Education for the Younger Generation | publisher=Family planning association of India | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=1981 | pages=138 | oclc=108274674}}</ref>
* The Role of Voluntary Organisations in Promoting Family Planning and Population Policy<ref name="The Role of Voluntary Organisations in Promoting Family Planning and Population Policy">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S8gnAAAAYAAJ | title=The Role of Voluntary Organisations in Promoting Family Planning and Population Policy | publisher=Family Planning Association of India | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=1979 | pages=37 | oclc=31820781}}</ref>
* Some Careers for Women<ref name="Some Careers for Women">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vt6rGwAACAAJ | title=Some Careers for Women | publisher=Thacker | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=1947 | pages=39 | oclc=1987653}}</ref>
* Proceedings of the First Dr. C. Chandrasekaran Memorial Lecture, 30 October 2001 on population and development : the changing scenario<ref name="Proceedings of the First Dr. C. Chandrasekaran Memorial Lecture, October 30, 2001 on population and development : the changing scenario">{{cite book | url=http://classify.oclc.org/classify2/ClassifyDemo?wi=51456073 | title=Proceedings of the First Dr. C. Chandrasekaran Memorial Lecture, October 30, 2001 on population and development : the changing scenario | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=2001 | oclc=7210728}}</ref>
* Population development and the environment<ref name="Population development and the environment">{{cite book | title=Population development and the environment | publisher=Radio Canada International | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | oclc=8746399 | work=Audio book| date=2018-10-06 }}</ref>
* The light will belong to us all<ref name="The light will belong to us all">{{cite book | title=The light will belong to us all | publisher=Third World Foundation for Social and Economic Studies | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=1988 | location=London | pages=8 | oclc=716106672}}</ref>

He memoirs was published in 2001 under the name, ''The Light is Ours'' by the [[International Planned Parenthood Federation]].<ref name="The Light is Ours: Memoirs & Movements">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hhzxAAAAMAAJ | title=The Light is Ours: Memoirs & Movements | publisher=International Planned Parenthood Federation | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=2001 | pages=706 | isbn=9780860891253}}</ref>

[[Sri Venkateswara University]], Tirupati honoured Avabai Bomanji Wadia with the degree, Doctor of Law (honoris causa){{citation needed|date=September 2018}} and the [[Government of India]] awarded her the civilian honour of [[Padma Shri]] in 1971.<ref name="Padma Shri" /> She died on 11 July 2005 at the age of 91, her husband preceding her in death in February 1979.<ref name="Obituary: Avabai Wadia" /> She bequeathed a part of her personal wealth to The Research Centre for Women's Studies<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rcwssndt.org/ | title=Research Centre for Women's Studies | publisher=Research Centre for Women's Studies | date=2015 | access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> which manages the ''Dr. Avabai and Dr. Bomanji Khurshedji Wadia Archive for Women''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rcwssndt.org/awa.html | title=Research Centre for Women's Studies | publisher=Research Centre for Women's Studies | date=2015 | access-date=29 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="IAWS">{{cite web | url=http://iaws.org/wp-content/themes/pdf/regional/Feminist%20Archiving,%20SNDT%20University%20Mumbai,%2013-14%20December%202012.pdf | title=IAWS | publisher=IAWS | date=2012 | access-date=29 May 2015}}</ref> A trust, ''Avabai Wadia Memorial Trust'', has been established which is involved in family planning programmes in association with other non governmental bodies and medical institutions<ref name="The MOGS-FPAI Avabai Wadia Memorial Workshop Inauguration">{{cite web | url=http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xap7ls_the-mogs-fpai-avabai-wadia-memorial_tech | title=The MOGS-FPAI Avabai Wadia Memorial Workshop Inauguration | publisher=Gautam Allahbadia | date=10 April 2009 | access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> and conducts regular endowment lectures on the subject.<ref name="K. R. Cama Oriental Institute">{{cite web | url=http://www.krcamaorientalinstitute.org/aboutus.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318125030/http://krcamaorientalinstitute.org/aboutus.php | url-status=usurped | archive-date=18 March 2016 | title=K. R. Cama Oriental Institute | publisher=K. R. Cama Oriental Institute | date=2015 | access-date=30 May 2015 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=}}
* [[International Planned Parenthood Federation]]
* [[Family Planning Association of India]]
* [[Margaret Sanger]]
* [[Elise Ottesen-Jensen]]
* [[First women lawyers around the world]]
{{div col end}}
{{portal|India}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | title=The Light is Ours: Memoirs & Movements | publisher=International Planned Parenthood Federation | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=2001 | pages=706 | isbn=9780860891253}}
* {{cite book | title=Population Education for the Younger Generation | publisher=Family planning association of India | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=1981 | pages=138 | oclc=108274674}}
* {{cite book | title=The Role of Voluntary Organisations in Promoting Family Planning and Population Policy | publisher=Family Planning Association of India | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=1979 | pages=37 | oclc=31820781}}
* {{cite book | title=Some Careers for Women | publisher=Thacker | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=1947 | pages=39 | oclc=1987653}}
* {{cite book | title=Proceedings of the First Dr. C. Chandrasekaran Memorial Lecture, October 30, 2001 on population and development : the changing scenario | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=2001 | oclc=7210728}}
* {{cite book | title=Population development and the environment | publisher=Radio Canada International | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | oclc=8746399 | work=Audio book}}
* {{cite book | title=The light will belong to us all | publisher=Third World Foundation for Social and Economic Studies | author=Avabai Bomanji Wadia | year=1988 | location=London | pages=8 | oclc=716106672}}
* Nesiah, Vasuki (2023). "Avabai Wadia: A Gentle Rebel of (Other) Nations?" in Immi Tallgren (ed.) ''[https://global.oup.com/academic/product/portraits-of-women-in-international-law-9780198868453?cc=gb&lang=en&# Portraits of Women in International Law]'' (Oxford University Press, 2023).

==External links==
* {{cite web | url=http://classify.oclc.org/classify2/ClassifyDemo?search-author-txt=%22Wadia%2C+Avabai+B.+(Avabai+Bomanji)%2C+1913-%22 | title=OCLC Classify | publisher=OCLC Classify | date=2015 | access-date=29 May 2015}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3AWadia%2C+Avabai+B.%2C&qt=hot_author | title=Worldcat profile | publisher=Worldcat | date=2015 | access-date=29 May 2015}}

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Social Work}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1980–89}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wadia, Avabai Bomanji}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work]]
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:Parsi people]]
[[Category:Indian barristers]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of London]]
[[Category:Indian women's rights activists]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan emigrants to India]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of India]]
[[Category:Indian women philanthropists]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in social work]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educational theorists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian lawyers]]
[[Category:Activists from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Women writers from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Writers from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Women scientists from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan women activists]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan activists]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Indian people of Sri Lankan descent]]
[[Category:Social workers from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Women educators from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Educators from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan social workers]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan women academics]]
[[Category:People from Colombo]]
[[Category:20th-century Sri Lankan writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Sri Lankan women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:20th-century women educators]]
[[Category:20th-century women philanthropists]]
[[Category:People associated with Planned Parenthood]]

Avabai Bomanji Wadia - Revision history

Joann47Q9259 at 02:24, 25 September 2025