Amy Rustomjee

Amy Behramjee Hormusjee Jamsetjee Rustomjee (18 May 1896 – 1976) was an Indian educator and school principal, based in Bombay. She served as vice president of the International Federation of University Women from 1956 to 1959.

Amy Rustomjee
Amy Rustomjee, from a 1940 issue of The Indian Listener
Born	18 May 1896 Pune
Died	1976 (aged approximately 80)
Other names	Amy Rustomji
Occupation	Educator

Early life and education

Rustomjee was born in Poona, into a Parsi family,^[1] the daughter of B.H.J. Rustomjee and Hilla J. M. Cursetjee. Her father was a merchant and a school principal.^[2] She held a diploma in education from the University of Bombay, and took the Cambridge Tripos in English.^[3]

Career

Education and literacy work

Rustomjee was principal of the Secondary Training College in Bombay for four years, the first woman to hold that post.^[3] Rustomjee gave a lecture in 1931 on the "Abolition of Illiteracy", advocating for voluntary literacy work as a condition of college matriculation.^[4] She was a member of the Adult Education Committee in Bombay in 1938,^[5] inspector of girls' schools,^[3] and one of the leaders of a city-wide literacy drive in 1939.^[6] As a member of the committee to select textbooks for Bombay schools in 1941, she clashed with Lilavati Munshi.^[7][3]

In the 1940s, Rustomjee was heard regularly on Bombay radio, speaking on education and literacy topics.^[8] She also wrote articles on educational topics.^[9][10][11] In 1949, she served on a committee about social service work in Bombay.^[12] In the early 1960s, she was involved with the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind.^[13]

Women's organizations and Girl Guides

In 1937, Rustomjee was Commissioner of the Girl Guides in Bombay.^[14] Later in life, she was president of the Indian Federation of University Women's Associations, and served as vice president of the International Federation of University Women from 1956 to 1959. In 1957 and 1958 she toured in the United States with other leaders of the Federation.^[2][15][16] In a 1958 debate on women and municipal administration, organized by the State Women's Council in Bombay, she opposed women taking over all municipal administrative roles.^[17][18]

"Miss Rustomji never showed any restraint and, whatever the occasion, would just let herself go and call a spade a spade, no matter who the person she was speaking to or about," recalled her colleague D. C. Pavate, who nonetheless considered her "a good sort, very well-meaning, honest, and sincere."^[3]

Personal life and legacy

Amy Rustomjee lived with her aunt, J. M. Cursetjee.^[19] Rustomjee died in 1976. The Amy Rustomjee Hall at the Women's Graduate Union in Mumbai and the Amy Rustomjee International Scholarship at the University of Mumbai are named in her memory.^[20]

References

1. Mody, Nawaz B. (1998). The Parsis in Western India, 1818 to 1920. Allied Publishers. p. 19. ISBN 978-81-7023-894-2.
2. "Children's Book Dinner Tuesday". Star Tribune. 10 November 1957. p. 56. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Pavate, D. C. (1964). DC Pavate: Memoirs of an Educational Administrator, 1964. Prentice-Hall. pp. 169–170, 201, 213–215, 225–226 – via Internet Archive.
4. "Fights Against Illiteracy; Miss Amy Rustomjee Points to Russia". The Bombay Chronicle. 29 May 1931. p. 3. Retrieved 20 November 2021 – via Internet Archive.
5. "Adult Education Committee Report Bombay". INDIAN CULTURE. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
6. Laubach, Frank C. (1940). India Shall Be Literate. pp. 26–27 – via Internet Archive.
7. Report of the Committee appointed by the Government of Bombay in connection with the selection and preparation of text-books, 1942. The Government Central Press (Bombay). 1942.
8. "The Eradication of Illiteracy". The Indian Listener. 9: 3–9. 22 March 1944.
9. Rustomjee, Amy (January 1949). "Children's Holiday Reading Room". The Adventure of Education: 60–64 – via South Asia Archive.
10. Rustomjee, Amy B. H. J. (1932-1933). "A New Way in Education" Journal of the University of Bombay 1: 274-288.
11. Rustomjee, Amy B. H. J. "Schools and National Savings" Teaching 24(March 1952): 79-82.
12. Report of the Committee on Social Service. Bombay, Government Central Press. 1949 – via Internet Archive.
13. The Victoria Memorial School for the Blind (1962). Annual Report 1961-62. Inc American Printing House for the Blind. p. 55 – via Internet Archive.
14. "International Fetish at the Cost of National Self-Respect". The Bombay Chronicle. 22 August 1937. p. 26. Retrieved 20 November 2021 – via Internet Archive.
15. "Miss Amy Rustomjee". Poughkeepsie Journal. 6 August 1958. p. 40. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "University Women of 16 Countries Have Luncheon Stop in Monroe County". The Pocono Record. 11 August 1958. p. 7. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Municipal Administration Should be Handed Over to Women". Civic Affairs. 5: 57. July 1958.
18. "Woman Fears Giving City Reins to Women". Nashville Banner. 12 May 1959. p. 18. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
19. Twain, Mark; Cursetjee, J.M.; Robinson, E.L.; Kagal, Carmen (1996). "Mark Twain: An Interview with Miss J.M. Cursetjee". Mark Twain Journal. 34 (1): 42. ISSN 0025-3499. JSTOR 41641422.
20. "Indian Federation of University Women's Associations". Graduate Women International (GWI). Retrieved 20 November 2021.