Sudha Verma

Sudha Verma (17 Sep.1941, Baghalpur, Bihar, India — 29 Jan. 1988) was a professor of Hindi Literature at Gautama Buddha Mahila (Women’s) College, Gaya, Bihar. She authored two books on the Tulsi Ramayana, Maanas ke Patra (1987) and Agneya Asia mein Ramakatha (1982). A poetess herself, Dr. Sudha Verma devoted a 1,800-entry bibliography to famous Indian poet Goswami Tulsidas (1532−1623), considered by some as a reincarnation of Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana epic: Tulasidasa: A Bibliography (1998).

Initially, eye doctors had pressed her parents to dissuade her from studying, due to her poor eyesight. In spite of this challenge, she was to become one of the leading women researchers in India.

A passionate womens’rights advocate, a celebrated linguist and writer, and the co-founder of the South East Asian Review with her husband, Dr. Sachchidanand Sahai, she has inspired the creation in 2019 of the Sudha Verma Memorial Trust, an institution encouraging higher education among Indian women.