Lakshmi Ashram and the Kumaun: Young Women and Gandhian Educators in Their Linguistic and Educational Context

This chapter introduces a group of Kumauni young women, Govindi and her peers, within their educational context, a unique Gandhian girls’ school known as Lakshmi Ashram. I also situate Kumauni linguistically and in relation to the language’s status and vitality. I describe the research setting, starting from the micro level and extending to the macro level: from Lakshmi Ashram, to the town of Kausani and the government high school there, to the nearby village of Dholara, to the Kumaun region in which these are situated, and finally describing the Kumauni people and language. In this way, I present the various influences on the lives of Kumauni young women, particularly as they pertain to the intersecting themes of language, education, and empowerment.