Kitty Shiva Rao | |
|---|---|
 Kitty Shiva Rao, from a 1937 publication | |
| Born | Kitty Verständig 12 December 1903 |
| Died | February 9, 1980 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Montessori teacher |
| Known for |
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| Spouse | Benegal Shiva Rao (1929-1975) |
Kitty Shiva Rao (born 12 December 1903 – died 9 February 1980), was a Montessori teacher and theosophist from Austria who, by India's independence, had led a committee of women to draft an Indian Women's Charter of Rights and Duties for the new constitution of India. She studied child education and served on several women's movement and education boards including the All India Women's Conference (AIWC), All India Handicrafts Board, Indian Council for Child Welfare and Delhi University Board.
Born into an upper middle-class Jewish family, Shiva Rao spent her early career at the Vienna House of Children. In 1925, she attended the Theosophical Society at Adyar, India, and decided to stay and head a Montessori school in Varanasi, before then establishing a Montessori in Allahabad. In 1929, she married the journalist and Congress politician Benegal Shiva Rao.
In 1947, with Fori Nehru, she helped set up the "Refugee Handicrafts" employment campaign in Delhi for refugee women in the camps following the partition of India. Later, she co-founded a national programme for the development of handicrafts and handloom products, and continued to promote Indian made crafts later in her career.