Sarla Bedi (1925-2013) was an Indian female priest who founded the Arya Samaj, a reformist branch of Sanatan Dharma in Toronto, Canada. She is known as Canada’s Arya Samajist. She died of arthritis on November 15, 2013 in Toronto, Canada.
Wiki/Biography
Sarla Bedi was born on Saturday, April 4, 1925, in Sahnewal, Ludhiana, Punjab (India) (died aged 88). When Sara was young, she moved with her family from India to Kenya during the Great Depression. There she spent her childhood in a apartheid colony, studying painting and participating in debates and lectures about the Indian independence movement. Due to her mother’s poor health and her father’s difficulty in finding a job, Sarah had to give up her dream of studying law in the UK. In 1972, due to political unrest in South Africa and increasing violence against Indians, Sara decided to move to Toronto, Canada.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 5″
Hair color: brown
Eye color: black
family
She belongs to the Kapila family of Sanewal, India.
Parents and siblings
Sarah was the eldest of her parents’ six children. She has five brothers.
husband and children
In 1942, she married Indian social activist Gobind Bedi. The couple has three sons named Nilam, Deepak and Shalin and a daughter named Sheetal. In 2008, her husband Gobind Bedi passed away.
Sara Bedi and her children
Profession
in kenya
At the age of 18, Sara began to take on household chores. She became a teacher in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, to support her family and educate her young brother. She continued to participate in public debates about the Indian struggle for independence and social issues.
in canada
In 1972, she moved to Toronto, Canada. Sarla and her husband became the founders of Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement started in 1875 by Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati. Their organization promoted social causes and helped settle Indian immigrants. In 1976, Sara became the first female Hindu priest in Ontario. Sarah was considered a highly respected counselor on spiritual and social matters. She began organizing baptisms, mixed faith weddings and funerals in the community. By 1996, the Arya Samaj of Canada established the Vedic Cultural Center in Markham, which now serves as a center for various cultural and community activities for seniors and children.
Toronto Markham Vedic Cultural Center
die
She died of arthritis and hospital-acquired infection on November 15, 2013 in Toronto, Canada.
Facts/Trivia
- Apart from following a healthy diet, Sara is also very fond of Indian sweets such as gulab jamun.
- Sarla Bedi was one of six members honored at the Vedic Cultural Center in Markham on November 21, 2009, for their significant contribution and service to the development of the Canadian Arya Samaj .
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education