Author Description

Bela Banerjee was a remarkable Indian nurse who spent her life serving the poor in India. This book describes her work in Quacker, Gandhian & other indigenous & international development projects. it shows how her training of young village women to be health workers led to higher health standards & a greater acceptance of women as village leaders. It also tells of her early life as the youngest daughter of a widowed mother & later experiences that enlarged her circle of relationships to friends throughout the world. Weaving together research, interviews & experiences while traveling with Bela Banerjee, the author brings alive the people & places important to the life of this extraordinary woman whose deep sense of identification with the poor gave direction to her life. The book is illustrated with photographs & a map of India indicating places where Bela Banerjee lived & worked. Several RabindranathTagore poems that she found meaningful are included in the book. In memory of Bela Banerjee: A Coda to Her Biography (ISBN 0-945530-17-x, 1996). also written by Platt & published by Wordsworth following Banerjee's death, is available as a companion piece to the biography.