Amrit Kaur

Overview

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur born Lucknow, India February 2, 1889 (d. 1964). Gandhian independence leader; resident of Gandhi's ashram, as secretary; imprisoned for her participation in Indian independence activities, including the 1930 Dandi March, the 1937 Bannu Mission, and the 1942 Quit India campaign. Served as a founding UNESCO delegate, 1945-46; headed Indian Ministry of Health, 1947-57; first woman president of the World Health Assembly, 1950.

Quotations

"No structure of society can be a stable one that had not its roots deep in the moral and spiritual values of life. . . Geographical barriers have been conquered but oceans of hate and misunderstanding still divide us." (speech to UNESCO, London, 1945 in Our Leaders, p. 140; photo toppersbiography)