Parbati Giri, one of Odisha’s prominent women freedom fighters, was born on January 19, 1926, in Samlaipadar village in present-day Bargarh district. She left school at just 11 to work with Congress organisers and, by 16, was actively participating in the Quit India Movement against British rule.
During the 1942 movement, she led protests, challenged British institutions and was arrested after entering the Bargarh SDO’s office, where she sat on his chair posing as a judicial magistrate; she was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison. After Independence, Giri devoted herself to social welfare, working among poor and marginalised communities and contributing to famine relief, healthcare, leprosy eradication, prison reform and the welfare of women and children.
Her birth centenary was marked on January 19, 2026, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to her, praising her role in the movement against colonial rule and her contribution to community service, healthcare, women’s empowerment and culture.
A Childhood Shaped By Freedom
Giri grew up in Samlaipadar at a time when nationalist activity was gaining momentum across Odisha. Her uncle, Ramachandra Giri, was associated with the Congress and regularly organised meetings in the village to discuss resistance to British rule.
As a child, Parbati often accompanied him and listened to these discussions, gradually developing a strong interest in the national movement. The Government of India’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav archive records that senior Congress leaders were impressed by her commitment and asked her father to allow her to participate in organisational work.
She left her studies at the age of 11 and began assisting local Congress workers. A year later, she went to Bari Ashram near Jajpur, where she trained under Gandhian leaders including Rama Devi and Gopabandhu Choudhury. She spent two years learning and practising Gandhian principles of non-violence and self-reliance.
Paying homage to Parbati Giri Ji on her birth centenary. She played a commendable role in the movement to end colonial rule. Her passion for community service and work in sectors like healthcare, women empowerment and culture is noteworthy. Here is what I had said in last month’s… https://t.co/KrFSFELNNA
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 19, 2026
From Villages To Quit India
After returning from the ashram, Giri travelled through parts of Western Odisha, including Bargarh, Sambalpur, Padampur, Panimara and Ghens, spreading the message of Swaraj and mobilising people against British rule.
She helped train villagers in weaving and thread-making and, in 1940, encouraged people to adopt the charkha and wear Khadi. Her activism became more confrontational during the Quit India Movement in 1942. At just 16, she carried the tricolour during rallies, raised anti-British slogans and challenged institutions that supported colonial authority.
Government records recount that she went to the Bargarh court and asked lawyers to stop cooperating with British officials. In another dramatic episode, she entered the Bargarh SDO’s office with three boys, sat on the SDO’s chair and posed as a judicial magistrate. She instructed the boys to bring the SDO before her as though he were a culprit. The act led to her arrest and a two-year prison sentence.
Freedom Took A Different Form
Independence in 1947 did not bring Giri’s public life to an end. Instead, her focus shifted from resisting colonial rule to improving the lives of people who remained vulnerable.
She travelled to villages during natural calamities to assist poor and destitute people. During the 1951 famine in Odisha, she took part in relief efforts for people severely affected by hunger and deprivation. Her later work extended to leprosy eradication and improving conditions inside prisons.
She also worked for the welfare of vulnerable women and children and became associated with institutions providing care and support to disadvantaged communities. This second phase of her life is central to why she became known as the “Mother Teresa of Western Odisha”. The comparison reflected her sustained commitment to people who were frequently neglected or excluded from mainstream society.
A Legacy Beyond Independence
Giri’s contribution was recognised during her lifetime. Government and archival accounts record that she received a national-level social welfare award in 1984, while Sambalpur University honoured her with an honorary doctorate in 1988.
She died on August 17, 1995, aged 69. Decades later, her contribution received renewed national attention during her birth centenary in January 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to her and described her role in the movement to end colonial rule as commendable, while also highlighting her passion for community service and work in healthcare, women’s empowerment and culture.
Modi had also referred to her during his December 2025 Mann Ki Baat address, noting her contribution to the freedom movement and her efforts to uplift poor and marginalised people.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Parbati Giri’s story reminds us that the meaning of freedom can extend far beyond the moment a country becomes independent. At 11, she gave up formal schooling to contribute to a national cause; at 16, she faced imprisonment for challenging colonial authority; and after Independence, she redirected that same determination towards people facing hunger, illness, poverty and social exclusion.
Her life brings together two forms of public service that are often remembered separately: the struggle to secure political freedom and the equally difficult work of making that freedom meaningful in everyday life. Remembering Giri today is therefore not only about celebrating a forgotten chapter of India’s past, but also about asking what we can do to ensure that dignity, compassion and opportunity reach those who remain at the margins of society.
How should India preserve and carry forward the values represented by freedom fighters like Parbati Giri?
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