Sophia Wadia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1901 Colombia |
| Died | 27 April 1986 India |
| Other names | Sophia Camacho |
| Occupation(s) | Theosophist, literateur |
| Spouse | B. P. Wadia |
| Awards | Padma Shri |
Sophia Wadia, née Sophia Camacho, was a Colombian-born naturalized Indian theosophist, littérateur, the founder of PEN All India Centre and the founder editor of its journal, The Indian PEN.[1][2] She also cofounded The Indian Institute of World Culture, Bengaluru[3] and the Asian Book Trust, Mumbai.[2] The Government of India honoured Wadia in 1960, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for her services to the nation.[4]
Sophia Camacho was born in 1901 in Colombia and did her education in her motherland, Paris, London and New York.[5] In 1927, she met B. P. Wadia, an Indian theosophist on tour to European countries,[6] was influenced by his philosophy and married him in 1928. The next year, she went to India with her spouse and got involved in his activities.[1] The Wadias founded several branches of the United Lodge of Theosophists in various places in Europe[1] and founded the first Indian branch in Mumbai in 1929.[6]
The couple founded the All India Centre of the International P.E.N. in Mumbai in 1930[7] and launched two journals, The India PEN and The Aryan Path.[5] Sophia was the editor of The India Pen and remained in that position till her death.[5] In 1945, she established The Indian Institute of World Culture in 1945 at Basavanagudi, near Bengaluru in the South Indian state of Karnataka.[3] During this period, she published two books, The Brotherhood of Religions[8] in 1936 and Preparation for Citizenship[9] in 1941, the latter with foreword by Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore.[2] The second edition of The Brotherhood of Religions came out in 1944 with foreword written by Mahatma Gandhi.[2] She was also instrumental in the establishment of Asian Book Trust in Mumbai[2] which later published her husband's renowned work, The Gandhian Way.[10]
Sophia Wadia continued her social life after her husband's death in 1958[6] and organized eleven All India Writers' Conferences.[2] The Government of India awarded her the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1960.[4]
She was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting a world constitution.[11][12] As a result, for the first time in human history, a World Constituent Assembly convened to draft and adopt the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.[13]
She died on 27 April 1986, at the age of 85.[2]
