NOBEL PRIZE, THE HIGHEST CIVILIAN AWARD IN THE WORLD, HAS BEEN AWARDED EVERY YEAR, SINCE 1901, FOR THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE, LITERATURE AND FOR PEACE. THE NOBEL PRIZE IS AN INTERNATIONAL AWARD, ADMINISTERED BY THE NOBEL FOUNDATION IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, IN MEMORY OF SIR ALFRED NOBEL, THE FOUNDER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE. EACH PRIZE CONSISTS OF A MEDAL, PERSONAL DIPLOMA, AND HARD CASH. THE NOBEL PRIZES ARE AWARDED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAST WILL SIGNED BY ALFRED NOBEL ON NOVEMBER 27, 1895, IN PARIS. 35 OUT OF THE 801 ( ABOUT 4.4 % ) NOBEL PRIZES AWARDED TILL 2007, HAVE BEEN WON BY THE WOMEN. THESE 35 NOBEL PRIZES HAVE BEEN WON BY 34 WOMEN, AS MARIE CURRIE WON THE NOBEL PRIZE TWICE. ALTHOUGH 34 MAY APPEAR TO BE A SMALL FIGURE, CONSIDERING THE ENUMERABLE ODDS AGAINST WHICH THESE WOMEN HAD TO STRUGGLE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR WORK , THE REAL QUESTION WOULD BE WOW, HOW COME SO MANY? AND NOT WHY SO FEW HAVE WON THE AWARD SO FAR ?. NEVER BEFORE, SO FEW HAVE CONTRIBUTED, SO MUCH, UNDER SUCH TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES. EACH OF THESE 34 NOBEL WOMEN, HAS MADE IMMENSE CONTRIBUTION TO THE MANKIND BY THE VIRTUE OF HER SELFLESS, DEDICATED AND UNTIRING WORK, DESPITE UNSURMOUNTABLE ODDS. AS ENGRAVED ON THE NOBEL MEDAL ITSELF, THEY REALLY BETTERED LIFE ON THE EARTH. SO FAR, THERE WAS NO BOOK AVAILABLE IN ANY LANGUAGE, GIVING CONSOLIDATED DETAILS OF THE WORK DONE BY EACH OF THE 34 NOBEL WOMEN. NOT MANY KNOW ABOUT THESE 34 WOMEN, THE DIFFICULTIES THEY FACED AND THE IMMENSE CONTRIBUTIONS THEY MADE TO THE HUMANITY. COMMON KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THESE NOBEL WINNERS NORMALLY DOES NOT GO BEYOND A FEW LIKE MARIE CURIE, IRENE CURIE, PEARL BUCK AND MOTHER TERESA. THIS BOOK IS THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO BRIDGE THE WIDE GAP. A SINCERE ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE TO UNEARTH THE HIDDEN TREASURES IN THE LIVES OF THESE NOBEL WOMEN AND UNFOLD THE INTRICACIES OF THEIR STRUGGLES. IN FACT, THEY DID NOT WORK TO WIN THE NOBEL PRIZE, BUT THEY HONESTLY BELIEVED AND TRULY ENJOYED WORKING FOR THEIR CHOSEN CAUSE. THEIR DEDICATED, UNTIRING PERSEVERANCE WON THEM MANY ACCOLADES AND THE NOBEL PRIZE CAME THEIR WAY. THIS BOOK ATTEMPTS TO CAPTURE THE WORK OF EACH OF THE NOBEL WOMEN, ALONG WITH THEIR SOCIAL, POLITICAL, HISTORICAL AND ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES PREVAILING THEM. OF THE 34 WOMEN 11 HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE. THIS BOOK BRINGS OUT HOW THEY WORKED DURING THE TIMES WHEN WOMEN WERE LOOKED DOWN, EVEN IN THE WESTERN COUNTRIES, WITH GREAT CONTEMPT AND SUSPICION ABOUT THEIR BASIC CAPABILITIES TO WORK IN THE SCIENTIFIC FIELDS WITH MATHEMATICAL & LOGICAL THINKING COMPETENCIES. THEY WERE DEPRIVED OF BASIC EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND FINANCIAL NEEDS. HOWEVER, DESPITE HEAVY ODDS, THEY STOOD OUT AND MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS, DEFINITELY BETTERING LIFE ON THE EARTH. OTHER 11 WOMEN HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF LITERATURE. MANY OF THEM DID NOT EVEN RECEIVE ANY PRIMARY EDUCATION. MANY FACED INNUMERABLE DIFFICULTIES AND VERY TRYING SITUATIONS TO OVERCOME ALL OBSTACLES DUE TO VARIOUS PREJUDICES AND DISCRIMINATIONS OF ALL KINDS. THIS BOOK DRAWS THEIR LIFE SKETCHES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE TO DERIVE INSPIRATION FOR GOOD CAUSE. THE REMAINING 12 WOMEN HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF PEACE. THEY HAD TO WORK WITH GREAT COURAGE AGAINST TERRORISM, VIOLENCE AND BLOODBATH. THEY DID UNTIRING WORK IN SPITE OF MANY SETBACKS FOR THE HELPLESS AND DOWNTRODDEN OF THE MANKIND. THIS BOOK BRINGS OUT THEIR STRUGGLES FOR THE NEEDY AND DOWNTRODDEN, AGAINST THE INJUSTICE. THEY FOUGHT RELENTLESSLY, MANY TIMES EVEN DIRECTLY GOING ON THE BATTLE FIELDS. THEY NEVER LOST HOPES, NEVER GAVE UP, AGAINST DIFFICULT OBSTACLES. THEY WERE FULLY CONVINCED THAT LASTING PEACE CAN ONLY SAVE THE HUMANITY. THESE ARE 34 SELF RADIATING WOMEN, WHO WON THE NOBEL PRIZES BY VIRTUE OF THEIR NOBLE DEEDS. THEY STAND OUT THEIR, AS THE LIGHT HOUSES INSPIRING MANY OTHERS BY THEIR SELF RADIATING LIGHT. WHILE STUDYING THEIR LIFE SKETCHES THROUGH NUMEROUS NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL REFERENCES, I WAS TOTALLY ENGROSSED AND OVERWHELMINGLY IMPRESSED BY THESE GREAT WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE. THERE UPON, I FELT A VERY STRONG NEED TO BRING OUT THESE ADORING, SORE AND SWEET MEMORIES, HITHERTO UNKNOWN TO THE READERS AND THE DISCERNING CONNOISSEURS. IN THIS BOOK I HAVE MADE AN HONEST ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE AND BRING OUT THE GREAT WORK DONE BY THESE NOBEL WOMEN FOR THE PEOPLE. EVEN IF AT LEAST A FEW, ARE INSPIRED TO DO SOMETHING NOBLE, FOR THE BETTERMENT OF MANKIND, I WILL CALL THIS BOOK A REAL SUCCESS.
आपल्या अंतर्मनात लागलेल्या प्रकाशाच्या शोधाने उजळणाऱ्या या सर्व स्वप्रकाशरूपा. प्रत्येकीचे कार्यक्षेत्र वेगळे. परंतु कर्म हीच तृप्ती हा समाधानाचा मंत्र जपल्यामुळे आंतरिक शांती, आत्मविश्वास आणि आनंद त्यांतील प्रत्येकीलाच लाभलेला. जगातील सर्वोच्च समजला जाणारा नोबेल पुरस्कार त्यांना मिळाला खरा; पण त्यांनी पाहिलेल्या स्वप्नांकडे आणि ध्येयाकडे वाटचाल करणारा त्यांचा प्रवास कोणत्याही पुरस्काराच्या क्षितिजापार होता.
* खान्देशकन्या स्मिता पाटील साहित्य पुरस्कार
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* मीरा सिरसमकर यांना वीर महिला सौ. गीताबाई चारठाणकर पुरस्कार २०१०