Prabha Khaitan (English: Prabha Khaitan, born: 1 November, 1942; died: 20 September, 2009) was the founder president of Prabha Khaitan Foundation, actively involved in women’s work, founder of a women’s health center called Figret, exporter of leather and readymade garments from 1966 to 1976, managing director of her company ‘New Horizon Limited’, renowned English novelist, poet, feminist thinker and social worker. She had the distinction of being the only woman president of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the Central English Institute
Prabha, who did her postgraduate degree in philosophy from Kolkata University, did her PhD on “Existentialism of Jean Paul Sartre”. She started her literary journey at the age of 12 and her first composition (poem) was published in ‘Suprabhat’, when she was a student of seventh grade. From 1980-1981, she started full-time literary service. After suffering from chest pain, she was treated at Kolkata’s AMRI Hospital and during bypass surgery, Prabha Khaitan died untimely on 20 September 2009.
Her translation of French writer Simone de Beauvoir’s book ‘The Second Sex’, titled ‘Stri Upekshita’, made her quite popular. Apart from this, her many books like ‘Bazaar Beech Bazaar Ke Khilaf’ and ‘Stri Colony Mein’ established her feminist image. The gentle and modest Prabha Khaitan surprised the literary world by writing an autobiography ‘Anya Se Ananya’, which exposed the untouched aspects of her life. The torture of women can be easily seen in the literature of Dr. Prabha Khaitan. Using the example of Bengali women, she tried to look into women’s lives very closely. She also wrote many essays. While Dr. Prabha Khaitan got the honour of being a feminist thinker, she also actively participated in the work of women’s awareness. She was also awarded the ‘Pratibhashali Mahila Award’ and ‘Top Personality Award’. The President personally presented her with the ‘Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Award’ of the Central English Institute for her remarkable contribution to literature.
