Mary Clubwala Jadhav

This week, we take a look at philanthropist Mary Clubwala Jadhav, who we hold material on in the Mountbatten Papers.

Edwina Mountbatten during a visit to Seva Samajam Home for Boys, Madras, 1953 [MS62/MB3/23/4/220]

Biography

Born on 10 June 1909 in in Ootacamund in the then Madras Presidency to Rustom Patel and Allamai, Mary Clubwala Jadhav was schooled in Madras and married Nogi Clubwala at the age of 18. They had a son, Khusro, in 1930. Nogi Clubwala died due to an illness in 1935. He died during a trip overseas, leaving Jadhav in a city unfamiliar to her. After Clubwala’s death Jadhav devoted herself to social work and remarried Major Chandrakanth K. Jadav, 20 years after her first husband’s death. He was an Indian army officer who was also working in the same areas of social work. The earlier part of her social work was devoted to orphanages, discharged prisoners’ aid society, children’s aid society, juvenile court, and relief against severe infectious diseases, as well as service to the deaf, blind and mentally impaired. A Mrs. Waller started the Guild of Service with the objective of providing welfare to those in need. Jadhav joined them, becoming the Honorary Secretary of the Guild Service (Central ) in 1956. The Guild of Service had branches in many states such as Mumbai, Delhi, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Guild of Service operated more than several units related to orphanages, female literacy, care and rehabilitation of the disabled.

Clubwala Jadhav was connected with around 150 organisations throughout India. Her biggest contribution was at the outbreak of World War Two. Clubwala Jadhav founded the Indian Hospitality Committee with helpers drawn mostly from the Guild of Service, to provide resources to Indian soldiers, airmen, and sailors. She persuaded women from all communities and walks of life to participate in the objective to organise mobile canteens, hospital visits, alternative therapy and entertainment programmes. The public donated generously to the War Fund initiated by the Hospitality Committee which continued its efforts after the War by facilitating the rehabilitation of ex-servicemen and their families. Clubwala Jadhav took care of the wounded soldiers and assembled a hospitality committee to look after them. After the war was over, the Indian Hospitality Committee was transformed into the Prisoners Welfare and Ex-servicemen’s Welfare Committee. General Cariappa named her “The Darling of the Army”. The  14^th Army staffs were thankful to her and presented her with a Japanese sword in recognition of her valuable services.

She founded Madras School of Social work in 1952, the first school of social work in South India and second in India (after Tata Institute of Social Sciences- Mumbai) with limited means. Jadhav founded the Madras State Branch of the Indian Conference of Social Work and later hosted many all-India conferences in Chennai. She actively worked with the Tuberculosis and City Leprosy Relief Committees and made generous contributions to these organizations. She donated six beds to Kasturba Gandhi Leprosy Home in memory of her late husband Mr. N. P. Clubwala. She also worked for Harijan Welfare and established nursery schools for Harijan children.

Mrs Jadhav also sat without break in the Juvenile Court from 1935-1956, being reappointed 15 times. She was also appointed as the Honorary Presidency Magistrate for Chennai and continued until her death. In 1946, she became a nominated member of the Madras Legislative Council, and two years later, became the first woman under-sheriff of Madras.

She travelled widely in India, Europe and America. She was invited by the American Government to tour the United States as the first voluntary worker from India as a State Guest, in 1951. She led an Indian delegation to the World Assembly of Youth, both in England and America. In 1956, she was the only lady member of the U.N. Correspondents on the treatment of offenders.

She is also the founder of the Seva Sarajam Boys and Girls home, of which Lady Mountbatten sponsored two boys.

 Edwina Mountbatten during a visit to Seva Samajam Home for Boys, Madras, 1953 [MS62/MB3/25/133]

The connection between Lady Edwina Mountbatten and Mary Clubwala Jadhav

Edwina Mountbatten’s interest in social welfare was first sparked during the start of World War Two in 1939, when she decided to obtain training in first aid and the care of the sick. In the same year she joined the Women’s Voluntary Services (WVS) and began a six month’s training course at Westminster Hospital. After seeing bomb-stricken China on a brief break from her training, this sign of what may come to Britain encouraged Edwina to join the St John Ambulance Brigade, later becoming its County President for London of the St John Ambulance in November 1939, and in March 1940, for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as well. Edwina’s positions as deputy Superintendent-in-Chief of the entire Brigade from June 1940, and coordinator and commander of all St John Personnel working with the London Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Services, marked the start of her lifelong dedication to the help and relief of the suffering of others. During the Blitz Edwina completed tours of inspection of shelters, first aid and medical posts, covering as many as 10 in one night. Edwina made it her mission to improve the sanitary conditions of the make-shift shelters, building up a strong relationship with Minister of Health, Malcolm McDonald. In the 1942 New Year’s Honours she was made a CBE (Commander of the British Empire).

Lady Edwina Mountbatten stood by St John Ambulances and staff, 1940s [MS62/MB5/3/24]

Edwina’s efforts in coordinating voluntary organisations were needed again after the partition of Indian and Pakistan. In the late 1940s she worked for the United Council of Relief and Welfare, coordinating all the major voluntary organisations, who struggled to help the population of the Indian subcontinent suffering indescribably following the partition. Along with meeting the leaders of the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association), the WVS and Delhi Welfare, she also met Mrs Clubwala Jadhav.

Edwina Mountbatten talking to a man in Willingdon Hospital, New Delhi, India, April 1947 [MS62/MB3/23/4/51]

The folder on Mary Clubwala Jadhav kept by Edwina Mountbatten contains correspondence, programmes, invitations and newspaper cuttings dating 1953-59 documenting their arrangements for meeting up and updating each other on their successes and improvements at the Seva Samajam Home for Boys in Madras. A typical programme arranged with input by Clubwala Jadhav would include a reception by Social Welfare Agencies under the Guild of Service and visits to homes, orphanages and schools. Correspondence also covers the provision of funding for families in need in India, with letters from the individuals themselves. In 1954, Clubwala Jadhav invited Lady Mountbatten to the Madras School of Social Work’s first convocation in April 1954, saying:

“The Madras School of Social Work hardly needs introduction to you because as one who has interested herself deeply in Social Work and as one who honoured the School by a kind visit in Feb. 1953, I am sure you will remember the circumstances under which it started…I am very happy to say that the School has now successfully completed its first two years of existence and that our first batch of 23 students will be receiving their Diploma at the first Convocation of the Madras School of Social Work to be held at 5-20pm on Thursday 15^th April, 1954 at the Rajaji Hall.” [Letter from Mary Clubwala Jadhav to Edwina Mountbatten, 1954, MS62/MB1/R53]

The folder also contains letters from the two boys that the Mountbattens sponsored at the Seva Samajam Home for Boys in Madras, named Stanley Surbamanyam and C.S. Kuppuswami. The following quote is from a letter dating 1954 from Surbamanyam:

“Here all my brothers are doing well and they also conveyed their best wishes to your Lordship and Ladyship. Now we are sowing flower seeds in our garden. I have sown balsom and zimia in our groups garden. I like gardening and poultry very much, now that we have hatched R.I.R. [Rhode Island Red] chicks, they are very pretty to see when they play with their mother hen.”

Letter from Stanley Surbamanyam to Edwina Mountbatten, c.1954 [MS62/MB1/R53]

Edwina hears from Kuppuswami in 1957 and writes back to him, expressing her delight that he is doing so well in his studies and that she hopes she has an opportunity to visit to see the fruit he is growing.

In May 1957, Clubwala Jadhav, reports on the establishment of the new Shaligram Village Home, and how it has taken on 30 children, with 20 more coming in. She also reports how the number of Government officials from the various states in India have come to see the activities of the Home and have found the responsibility they give to the children in the running of the Home most interesting- especially their young cabinet!

Letter from Mary Clubwala Jadhav to Lady Mountbatten, 8 May 1957 [MS62/MB1/R53]

The last letter by date in the folder is from Edwina to Mary, 1959, expressing her gladness that the Planning Commission has established a Working Group on Social Welfare for raising the standard of living for all people, which Mary is a member of.

Both ladies continued their hard efforts in improving the lives of people right up until their deaths.

Join us for our next blog that is part of our Celebrating Women series, where we will focus on Holocaust survivor, Marianne Ellenbogen.