Chapter 9 : Biography of Irawati Karve and his Contribution towards Sociology

Biography, Education, and Career

Irawati Karve was a pioneering Indian educationist, anthropologist, sociologist, and writer from Maharashtra. She is celebrated for her unique combination of social and physical anthropology, and her diachronic studies utilizing Sanskrit, Pali, and Tamil literature. She developed her personality through different media like being an assiduous professor, a researcher, an author and an orator.

Early Life and Family

• Birth and Death: Born on December 15, 1905, in Myingyan, Burma; died on August 11, 1970. She was named after the sacred Burmese river, Irrawaddy, and grew up in Pune.
• Parents and In-laws: Daughter of G.H. Karmarkar (an engineer). Daughter-in-law of Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve.
• Immediate Family: Married to Dr. Dinkar Dhondo Karve (educator and Principal of Fergusson College) in 1926.
• Descendants:
• Anand (son): Runs an NGO in Pune called 'Arti' and keeps her research legacy alive.
• Gauri Deshpande (youngest daughter): Well-known Marathi writer of short stories and poems.
• Jai Nimbkar (eldest daughter): Writer of novels and short stories living in Phaltan.
• Nandini Nimbkar (granddaughter via Jai): Distinguished alumna of the University of Florida, USA.
• Priyadarshini Karve (granddaughter via Anand): Has worked on developing and disseminating biomass energy technologies in rural areas since 1991.

Education

• 1922: Completed matriculation from Huzurpaga, Pune.
• 1926: Received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Philosophy (majoring in Sociology) from Fergusson College.
• 1928: Received a Master of Arts in Sociology from Mumbai University. Under the guidance of Dr. G.S. Ghurye, she researched and submitted two essays: 'Folklore of Parshuram' and 'Chitpavan Brahman'.
• 1928–1930: Completed doctoral work (D.Phil) in anthropology at the University of Berlin, Germany, under the guidance of Eugene Fischer. Her research was on the Normal Asymmetry of the Human Skull and Bones.

Academic Career and Milestones

• Served as the head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune (University of Pune) for 40 years until her retirement. She was also the founder of the Anthropology Department at Poona University.
• 1947: Presided over the Anthropology Division of the National Science Congress in New Delhi.
• Served briefly as…