ABSTRACT
The persuasive invitation from Maharashtra's social reformers brought their 'native daughter' to Pune, having already been preceded by her fame. But the majority of the Brahmin community, extremely orthodox in religion and conservative in social mores, believed in keeping women under strict control. Meanwhile the internationally troped, tragic figure of the Indian widow was to become the focal point of Ramabai's future career despite conservative attempts to emphasize her own vulnerability as a widow and thus undercut the agency she claimed as a social reformer. Predictably, mainstream Maharashtra was scandalized by Ramabai, an unconventional Brahmin widow with a definitely unacceptable present and an imagined, questionable past. Ramabai's location within the social reform discourse was ambivalent. Ramabai Ranade describes the Pandita's extraordinary ability to hold audiences spellbound with her sweet voice, fluent speech and excellent manner of elaborating upon a topic.
