{{Short description|Indian writer and member of parliament (1908–1970)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}} {{Infobox writer | name = Kamla Chaudhry | image = | birth_date = 22 February 1908 | birth_place = Lucknow | death_date = 1970 | nationality = Indian | occupation = Short story writer }} '''Kamla Chaudhry''' (22 February 1908 – 1970) was an Indian short story writer in Hindi language and a Member of Parliament from Hapur in the 3rd Lok Sabha.
==Early life== Kamla Chaudhry was born on 22 February 1908 in Lucknow. Her father Rai Manmohan Dayal was a deputy collector.<ref name="LS">{{cite web|title=Members Bioprofile: Chaudhri, Shrimati Kamala|url=http://164.100.47.194/loksabha/writereaddata/biodata_1_12/1452.htm|publisher=Lok Sabha|accessdate=28 November 2017}}</ref> Her maternal great-grandfather was the commander of Independent Awadh forces at Lucknow in 1857 First War of Independence.
==Career== During the 1930 Civil disobedience movement, Chaudhry joined the Indian National Congress. Since then she was actively involved in the Indian Independence Movement and was imprisoned by the British authorities multiple times. She acted as the Senior Vice-chairperson during the 54th session of the All India Congress Committee. She was an elected member of the Constituent Assembly of India and after the constitution was adopted she served as a member of the Provincial Government of India till 1952. She was also a member of the Uttar Pradesh State Social Welfare Advisory Board.<ref name="LS" />
In 1962, Chaudhry became a member of the 3rd Lok Sabha after winning the 1962 Indian general election from Hapur as an official candidate of the INC.<ref name="SP">{{cite book|title=Saṃsadīya Patrikā|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CfhflI69xYsC|volume=43|year=1997|publisher=Lok Sabha|language=Hindi|page=76}}</ref> She defeated her nearest rival by a margin of 28,633 votes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Statistical Report on General Elections, 1962 to the Third Lok Sabha|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1962/Vol_II_LS_62.pdf|publisher=Election Commission of India|accessdate=28 November 2017|page=440}}</ref> Four collections of her stories; ''Unmaad'' (1934), ''Picnic'' (1936), ''Yatra'' (1947) and ''Bel Patra'' were published. Gender discrimination, exploitation of peasants and poor condition of widows were main themes in her works.<ref name="TharuLalita1991">{{cite book|last1=Tharu|first1=Susie J.|last2=Lalita|first2=Ke|title=Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the early twentieth century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u297RJP9gvwC&pg=PA472|year=1991|publisher=Feminist Press at CUNY|isbn=978-1-55861-027-9|page=472}}</ref>
==Personal life== She married J.M. Chaudhry in February 1922.<ref name="SP" /> Her father in law was one of founders of Swarajya Party. She had several children including Writer and Author Dr. Ira Saxena as well as Late Madhavendra Mohan and Dr. Hemendra Mohan Chaudhry.
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaudhry, Kamla}} Category:1908 births Category:India MPs 1962–1967 Category:Women members of the Lok Sabha Category:Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh Category:Writers from Lucknow Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Uttar Pradesh Category:Women writers from Uttar Pradesh Category:Writers from British India Category:20th-century Indian short story writers Category:Hindi-language Indian writers Category:Indian independence activists from Uttar Pradesh Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of India Category:Year of death missing Category:People from Hapur district Category:Politicians from Lucknow Category:20th-century Indian women writers Category:Indian women short story writers