Jharna Dhara Chowdhury

The existing memorial contains accurate and important biographical information about Jharna Dhara Chowdhury, but several additional well-supported details help enrich and round out her life story. Below is a revised and improved version that retains only verified facts drawn from reliable sources.

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Jharna Dhara Chowdhury (15 October 1938 – 27 June 2019) was a dedicated Bangladeshi social activist and Gandhian humanitarian. Born on 15 October 1938 in Lakshmipur District (then Bengal Presidency, British India), she was the daughter of Promoth Chowdhury and Ashalata Chowdhury (en.wikipedia.org).

During the communal upheaval of the Noakhali riots in her childhood, her home was burned and she and her family sought refuge in Assam. After returning, she was deeply inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s peace mission in the region (en.wikipedia.org). From a young age, she embraced Gandhian ideals, founding a school for underprivileged children at the age of 17—funding it by fasting twice a week to raise money for essentials such as books (online.thedailystar.net).

As an adult, Chowdhury became the secretary of the Gandhi Ashram Trust in Jayag Village, Chatkhil Upazila, Noakhali District, a role she assumed in 1990 (en.wikipedia.org). Under her leadership, the Ashram grew into a vibrant center for intercommunal harmony, providing education, training for rural women, and services to both Muslim and Hindu families in need (online.thedailystar.net). During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, she played a courageous role in helping around 500 girls flee the violence and cross into India (en.wikipedia.org).

Chowdhury received several prestigious awards recognizing her lifelong commitment to peace and social service: the Jamnalal Bajaj Award in 1998, Gandhi Seva Puraskar in 2010, India’s Padma Shri in 2013, and Bangladesh’s Ekushey Padak in 2015 (en.wikipedia.org).

In 2016, she oversaw the establishment of the Gandhi Memorial School on the Gandhi Ashram Trust campus, a project supported by India’s Heritage Sites Mission (en.wikipedia.org).

Chowdhury passed away on 27 June 2019 in Dhaka, after suffering a brain hemorrhage earlier that month and undergoing treatment at Square Hospital. Her final rites were held at Dhakeshwari Temple, and her body lay in state at the Central Shaheed Minar the following day to allow the public to pay their respects (en.wikipedia.org).

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This refined biography now includes key facts—her early inspiration, grassroots initiatives, wartime humanitarian work, leadership of the Ashram, major awards, and the circumstances of her passing—while preserving accuracy and respect.