Homai Vyarawalla

Key facts

Born

9 December 1913, Navsari

Died

15 January 2012, Vadodara

State of birth

Navsari, Gujarat

Sector

Journalism & media

Profession

Indian photojournalist (1913–2012)

Gender

Female

Biography

Homai Vyarawalla, commonly known by her pseudonym Dalda 13, was India's first woman photojournalist. She began her career in 1938 working for the Bombay Chronicle, capturing images of daily life in the city. Vyarawalla worked for the British Information Services from the 1940s until 1970 when she retired. In 2011, she was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of the Republic of India. She was amongst the first women in India to join a mainstream publication when she joined The Illustrated Weekly of India. A pioneer in her field, Vyarawalla died at the age of 98. Google doodle honoured India's "First Lady of the lens" in 2017 with a tapestry of Indian life and history drawn by guest doodler Sameer Kulavoor.

Summary based on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed by the RochakDuniya editorial team.

Timeline

1. 1913Born in Navsari
2. 1998Awarded the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Women Mediaperson
3. 2012Dies in Vadodara