Gangabai Yagnik
Gangabai Pranshankar Yagnik (1868–1937) was a Gujarati writer, teacher and Ayurveda practitioner. Her best-known work is Hunnar Mahasagar (1898), a guidebook listing about 2,080 trades, skills and tips for self-employment, including traditional medicines and cottage industries.
She was born in 1868 in Vavol near Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Her husband died when she was 13, and she refused to cut her hair as many women did at the time. Her sister sent her to school, and she later worked as an assistant teacher. She studied at Mahalakshmi Female Training College in Ahmedabad. In 1887 she moved to Mansa and became the headmistress of Victoria Girl School.
An entrepreneur who promoted swadeshi (local products) and self-employment, she also practiced Ayurveda and treated gynecological problems. She founded Garbhajivan Aushadhalaya, a hospital in Mansa around 1879, and later opened a branch in Ahmedabad. She died in 1937 and left scholarships for students from the hospital’s earnings.
Her writings are seen as reformist and outspoken against social evils like witch-hunting, blind faith, child marriage and polygamy, as shown in Vahem Khandan Pothi (1891) and Devi Triya Nishedh (1892). Hunnar Mahasagar became very popular, selling thousands of copies within days and reaching a seventh edition by 1908.
There is debate about whether she was the first female Gujarati writer, but she is widely recognized for paving the way for women in Gujarati literature. SRISTI republished new editions of Hunnar Mahasagar in 2003 and campaigned for recognition. Historian Shirin Mehta notes that she supported swadeshi long before Gandhi.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:20 (CET).