Prabhavati Devi

Prabhavati Devi Narayan (née Prasad; 1904 – 15 April 1973) was an Indian independence activist from the present-day state of Bihar, and wife of Indian independence and social activist, Jayprakash Narayan.

The last few years were especially painful for Prabha after she was discovered to be suffering from advanced cancer. She died on April 15th, 1973.

Prabhavati devi built up a very close relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru's wife, Kamala Nehru and became her confidante. Kamala wrote several personal letters to her. Most of the letters were returned to Kamala's daughter, Indira Gandhi by Jayaprakash following Prabha's death. one hangs on the wall of the home in the Kadam Kuan locality of Patna where Narayan and his wife both spent their last years. This letter was a handwritten letter by Nehru to Prabhavati during 1958 in Hindustani. The content of the letter summarizes as "Prabhavati had wished to start a school for girls and name it for Kamala Nehru. She had written to Jawaharlal asking whether he would inaugurate it. Nehru, in reply, said that he was delighted that this school was being planned, for he had long been an advocate of education for girls. But, he added, he had taken a vow that in the case of any school, project, or programme started in memory of his father (Motilal Nehru) or his wife, he would not participate in its inauguration. He asked Prabhavati to go ahead and start the school, with another chief guest if required. He added by way of consolation that when the place was up and running, he would come visit it anyway".

She was born to prominent lawyer, Brajkishore Prasad and Phool Devi in Srinagar in the present-day district of Siwan in Bihar. Brajkishore Prasad was himself an ardent Gandhian perhaps the first Congress party member in Bihar who had given up a lucrative legal practice to devote himself to freedom struggle. She was married to Jayprakash Narayan when she was 16 in October 1920.