Tarabai Modak

Tarabai Modak
Bust of Tarabai Modak on Kosbad Hill, near Dahanu (Maharashtra)
Born1892 (1892)
Bombay
Died1973 (aged 80–81)
OccupationSocial worker
Known forPreschool education (balwadis)
AwardsPadma Bhushan 1962

Tarabai Modak (19 April 1892–1973) was an Indian educator and social worker, regarded as a pioneer of preschool education in India. She was born in Bombay and graduated from the University of Mumbai in 1914. She was married to a lawyer from Amravati, Mr Modak. They divorced in 1921.

She worked as a principal of a Women's College in Rajkot. Being a social worker from the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, she was among the first to develop Balwadi s. The first balwadi was started in Bordi a coastal village in Thane district of Maharashtra by Nutan Bal Shikshan Sangh. She was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1962 for her work in preschool education. Anutai Wagh was her disciple. She was a member of the Indian National Congress.

Legacy

A play based on her life, Ghar Tighancha Hava, was produced by Ratnakar Matkari.

References

  1. ↑ Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman (2009). "Tarabai Modak: India's 'Montessori' and the country's first pre-schooling expert known as "Montessori Mother"". Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  2. ↑ "India's unsung ECCE pioneers". EducationWorld. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Singh. Preschool Education. APH Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 978-81-7648-757-3. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  4. ↑ R.P. Shukla (1 January 2004). Early Childhood Care And Education. Sarup & Sons. p. 106. ISBN 978-81-7625-474-8. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  6. ↑ Biography of Anutai Wagh
  7. ↑ "Congress begins well in Bombay". The Indian Express. 12 February 1946 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Rubin, Don (1998). The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia. Taylor & Francis. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-415-05933-6. Retrieved 16 October 2010.