Maa Kamali Soren
A Santhal woman from Malda who founded an ashram at Gazole in 1998 to shelter and educate Santhal children, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2021.
Guru Maa Kamali Soren is the founder of the Bharatiya Sanatan Santhal Kalyan Ashram, which works for the Santhal people of West Bengal, and is a well-known name among Santhals in Malda district. She was named for the Padma Shri in 2021 in the field of social work, from West Bengal [1].
Learning at home
Kamali Soren was born on 1 January 1973 and had no formal schooling; her parents taught her the basics [2]. She was guided by her spiritual teacher, Guru Rajen Babaji, and by her husband, Bhaban Kisku, a disciple of the Santhal spiritual leader Gurubaba Shibu Murmu, whose path of social work she took up [2].
The ashram
Before starting her own ashram she served students at the Bathandanga ashram in Habibpur, Malda [2]. In 1998 she founded the Bharatiya Sanatan Santhal Kalyan Ashram at Kotalhati in Gazole, together with Santhal students [2]. Children from villages across Gazole and Malda have been given shelter there and help with their studies [2].
She has also arranged weddings for girls from poor Santhal families, and works to highlight Santhal culture and traditions [2]. She does this work without help from the government or any NGO, relying on her followers and well-wishers [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2021: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2021: citation for Maa Kamali Soren — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
Last updated . First draft prepared with AI assistance; reviewed and fact-checked by a person before publishing. Report a correction
