Boro Maa
Boro Maa was a matriarch of the Matua Mahasangha, a Hindu religious reformation movement. Her original name was Binapani Devi Thakur; the name "Boro Maa" translates to "elder mother", an epithet for universal mother of Matua Community. She along with her husband Pramatha Ranjan Thakur established the community's new capital at Thakurnagar.
Career
Boro Maa was born in 1918 in Jabdakathi, Barishal District, Bengal Presidency. In 1933, she married Pramatha Ranjan Thakur, a great-grandson of Harichand Thakur, the founder of Matua Mahasangha.In 1947, India became independent and the province of Bengal was partitioned into Muslim majority East Bengal and Hindu majority West Bengal. In the following year, Boro Maa along with her family and a large number of Matuas migrated to West Bengal. Along with her husband, she created a refugee colony at Thakurnagar for the displaced Matuas.
In 1990, Boro Maa was widowed. She became the chief adviser and matriarch of the community. In the following years, she spread the teachings of Harichand Thakur across India.
On 15 March 2010, Boro Maa appointed Mamata Banerjee as the chief patron of the community. In November 2018, she was awarded Banga Bibhushan, the highest civilian award of West Bengal.
On 5 March 2019, Boro Maa died at Kolkata, aged 100. She had been suffering from high fever, COPD, and mild diabetes. Her funeral was held with full state honours on 7 March and a gun salute was given to her by the state government. Upon her death, her daughter-in-law Mamata Bala Thakur was appointed pro tem adviser of the community.