Irawati Karve was one of the foremost sociologists and anthropologists of twentieth-century India. Her work is considered highly significant in understanding Indian society, culture, family structures, relationships, and human diversity. She left a lasting impact not only in academic and research circles but also on the social and political thought of her time. Alongside her scholarly writings, she also engaged in creative and literary expression. Her collection of essays on the Mahabharata, titled Yuganta, was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1968.

Irawati was born on December 15, 1905, in Mingyan, a town in Burma (now Myanmar). She was named ‘Irawati’ after the Irrawaddy River that flows through Burma. Her father, Ganesh Hari Karmarkar, belonged to a Chitpavan Brahmin family from Pune. He had settled in Burma with his family while working for the British Burma Cotton Company. From a young age, Irawati displayed a sharp intellect and a deep curiosity for learning. However, due to the limited educational opportunities in Burma at the time, her father decided to send her to Huzurpaga School in Pune to pursue her education.

In 1911, at the tender age of six, Iravati arrived in Pune. Initially, it took her some time to adjust to the new environment. Around this time, the renowned mathematician and then-principal of Fergusson College, Wrangler Raghunath Purushottam Paranjpye, noticed her. Seeing this young girl living away from her parents in pursuit of education, he decided to take her into his home and raise her like his own daughter. The Paranjpye family became a strong pillar of support for Iravati.

Their household was a place of knowledge and progressive thoughts. Alongside their atheist leanings, the family engaged in the recitation of Sanskrit verses and the reading of English literature. This environment had a profound impact on Iravati. Influenced by Paranjpye’s ideology and the conversations with the intellectuals, judges, and social reformers who frequented their home, Iravati’s thinking began to take shape and find direction.

In 1920, after completing her school education, Iravati earned her B.A. degree from Fergusson College in Pune in 1926. During this period, she became acquainted with Dinkar Karve, the son of the reformer Maharshi Dhondo Keshav (Annasaheb) Karve. The Paranjpye and Karve families shared a close bond. Over time, the friendship between Dinkar and Iravati blossomed into love, and they decided to get married.

The Karve family’s financial condition was modest, and due to their strong social reformist stance, securing employment was often difficult for them. Because of these concerns, the Karmarkar family opposed the match. However, Iravati remained firm in her decision. Wrangler Paranjpye supported the marriage, even offering the young couple financial help. Iravati and Dinkar were married in 1926.

After completing her B.A., Iravati wanted to pursue an M.A., but she also felt a responsibility to support the Karmarkar family, now settled into domestic life. Despite her father's opposition, she began postgraduate studies in sociology in Mumbai under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Govind Sadashiv Ghule. She was awarded the prestigious Dakshina Fellowship for her research. In 1928, she earned her M.A. degree by submitting a thesis titled "The Physical, Social, and Cultural Characteristics of Chitpavan Brahmins."

Iravati had a strong desire to pursue a Ph.D., but at that time, the infrastructure for doctoral studies in India was lacking. Despite financial constraints, her husband Dinkar encouraged her to go to Germany for further research. Both the Karmarkar and Karve families opposed this decision. Annasaheb Karve even suggested she take up the position of professor at his women's university instead. However, with her husband’s unwavering support and the unexpected financial assistance offered by industrialist Jeewraj Mehta, Iravati’s path to Germany became possible.

In June 1927, Iravati set sail from Mumbai Port to Germany to pursue her Ph.D. Upon arriving in Berlin, she was struck by the city's grandeur—its vastness and magnificent architecture—contrasted starkly with the grim realities of its slums, widespread unemployment, and war-wounded beggars. She also sensed the deep-seated antisemitism among the German people.

She began her doctoral research at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. During this time, Nazi ideology was on the rise in Germany, and eugenics—the idea of "racial purity"—had become a central topic of study. Iravati had the opportunity to work under renowned anthropologist and eugenicist Eugen Fischer. To support eugenic theories, Fischer assigned her research on the relationship between race and skull measurements. This required Iravati to measure skulls from various racial groups.

However, her research challenged Fischer’s assumptions about the intellectual superiority of the European race. Her findings contradicted key beliefs of Nazi ideology, making Fischer uncomfortable. Nonetheless, in 1930, Iravati was awarded her Ph.D.—a groundbreaking achievement in the field of anthropology. Her work is considered revolutionary in the history of the discipline.

By the time she completed her doctorate, her husband Dinkar had joined her in Germany. After spending some time there together, the couple returned to India.

Around 1931, Iravati joined the SNDT educational institution founded by Annasaheb Karve, where she served as Registrar until 1939. Later, she received an opportunity to work at Deccan College in Pune. Since she terminated her contract with SNDT before its official end, Annasaheb, following institutional rules, imposed a penalty. To pay the fine, Iravati sold her gold bangles made during her wedding.

In 1939, she took charge as a ‘Prapathak’ (Research Fellow or Instructor) at the Postgraduate and Research Institute of Deccan College. Over time, she rose to become the head of the department and eventually the Principal. She was the first woman to lead both the Anthropology and Sociology departments at Deccan College—a landmark achievement. Iravati remained in this position until the end of her career.

With the collaboration of archaeologist Prof. Hasmukh Sankalia, Iravati laid the foundation for archaeological research at Deccan College. She played a significant role in the excavation at Langhnaj in Gujarat, which revealed evidence of a Mesolithic culture. Drawing upon her cranial studies from Germany, she analyzed the human remains found at the site. Her contributions laid the groundwork for anthropological research within Indian archaeology.

Iravati traveled extensively to remote regions for her research, meeting tribal and caste communities, taking physical measurements, and collecting samples. Her pioneering fieldwork brought her into the limelight. She served twice as the president of the Anthropology section of the Indian Science Congress, in 1939 and 1947.

Another major focus of her work was the study of Indian society. To understand Indian social structure and culture, she conducted in-depth research into the caste system, marriage customs, and kinship relations. The essence of this research was presented in her pioneering work in 1953, Kinship Organization in India, a foundational text in social anthropology.

In this book, she analyzed kinship patterns across different regions of India, linking them to linguistic zones. She also studied key features of Indian society, such as the joint family system and caste hierarchy. Rather than relying solely on theoretical study, Iravati emphasized fieldwork. Her research included detailed studies of communities like the Mahars of Maharashtra, and the Bhillas and Dhangars of Khandesh. She offered a profound and picture of the Mahar community’s socio-economic condition at the time. Through her study of the Bhilla tribes, she advocated for integrating tribal communities into the social mainstream, rather than viewing them as isolated or separate.

In 1961, Iravati published her book Hindu Society – An Interpretation. In this work, she analyzed the structure of Maharashtrian society and expressed her views on reservation policies concerning castes and tribes, the Hindu Marriage Act, language issues, and national integration.

She believed that reservations could lead to caste-based consolidation, thereby reinforcing separateness and potentially hindering national unity. Iravati described caste as an endogamous kinship group.

She also commented on the prevailing social and political climate. Iravati stressed that in a multilingual, multicultural country like India, it is essential to embrace diversity and preserve tolerance. She famously compared Indian society to a godhadi—a traditional patchwork quilt—suggesting that just as different patches are stitched together to form a single quilt, India's diverse communities have blended together to create a unified social fabric.

Iravati’s literary writing effortlessly conveyed her insights and observations. Drawing from an anthropological study of the Mahabharata, she authored the book Yuganta. In this work, rather than offering moral judgments on the epic’s characters, she analyzed the events of their lives to uncover the complexities of human emotion. She even critiqued certain actions of Bhishma, Yudhishthira, and Krishna. Yuganta received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1968.

Although her writing reflected a feminist perspective, Iravati never explicitly identified herself as a feminist. She examined the status of women within family structures, marriage customs, and systems of inheritance. She observed that sending young girls to their husbands' homes was a means of social control. She criticized Rama for forcing Sita to undergo the fire ordeal and questioned why he should be revered as a deity.

Iravati lived simply but held progressive views. She rejected symbolic markers of marital status such as the mangalsutra and kumkum. She referred to her husband by his first name, Dinkar, and their children addressed them as "Iru" and "Dinu." Dinkar consistently supported her work, encouraging her research and travels.

She was among the first few women in India to ride a scooter, and she maintained a careful balance between her family life and professional career. When Iravati traveled, her mother would come and stay with the children. Her children—Jai, Anand, and Gauri—also went on to find success in fields such as writing, research, and science.

Iravati Karve holds a place of great significance in Maharashtra’s—and indeed India’s—social and intellectual landscape. Her research remains historically invaluable and enduring. A distinguished scholar, she made remarkable contributions to anthropology, sociology, archaeology, and the study of Indian culture.

Tragically, Iravati Karve passed away from a heart attack on August 11, 1970, at the age of 65.