1. Sunity Devi CIE was the Maharani of the princely state of Cooch Behar, British India.
16 Facts About Suniti Devi
1. 2.
Suniti Devi was a daughter of the renowned Brahmo Samaj reformist, Keshub Chandra Sen of Calcutta, and Jagonmohini Sen.
3.
Suniti Devi was married to Nripendra Narayan, the Maharaja of Cooch Behar in 1878, when she was only fourteen years of age.
4.
Suniti Devi stayed at her father's place for two years after marriage, as Narayan left for London for higher studies immediately after their marriage.
5.
Sukriti Suniti Devi married Jyotsna Nath Ghoshal, the eldest son of Swarnakumari Suniti Devi and Janaki Nath Ghoshal.
6.
Suniti Devi became the first Indian woman to be awarded CIE.
7.
Suniti Devi attended the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria in 1898 and the Delhi Durbar of 1911 with her husband, the Maharaja of Cooch Behar.
8.
She, along with her sister, Sucharu Suniti Devi, were noted for their elegant dress.
9.
Suniti Devi's husband had set up in her name a girls' school in 1881 which was later named Suniti Academy.
10.
Suniti Devi was the brain behind the establishment of the school.
11.
Suniti Devi was an educationalist and a women's rights activist at heart, gave annual grants for the institution, exempted the girl students from paying tuition fees and rewarded the successful students.
12.
Suniti Devi had arranged for palace cars to bring the girl students from home to school and back.
13.
She, along with her sister Sucharu Suniti Devi financed the foundation of Maharani Girls' High School in Darjeeling in 1908.
14.
Suniti Devi was the President of the State Council and the first President of All Bengal Women's Union in 1932 and worked along with other women's rights activists from Bengal like Charulata Mukherjee, Saroj Nalini Dutt, T R Nelly and her sister Sucharu Devi.
15.
Suniti Devi authored a short story collection, "Bengal Dacoits and Tigers", published in 1916 by Thacker, Spink and Company, Calcutta.
16.
Suniti Devi died suddenly in the year 1932 at Ranchi.