Isha Basant Joshi


Isha Basant Joshi was an Indian Administrative Service officer and author. She published books under the name of Esha Joshi. She was the first Indian to be accepted into the "Bastion of the British" school of La Martiniere Girls High School in Lucknow, India. She was the first woman Indian Administrative Services officer of British India.

Early life and education

Joshi was born on 31 December 1908. After attending the La Martinere Girls High School, Lucknow, She went to Isabella Thoburn College and the Lucknow University, where she gained her Master of Arts. She undertook higher studies in Britain and then became a part of the Indian Administrative Services.

Career

The first woman IAS officer of Independent India, Joshi was posted as Magistrate and then as Assistant Commissioner in Delhi. She held senior and honorable positions in various departments and became the Commissioner-cum-State-Editor of the District Gazette. She then served in senior roles in the Ministry of Education. She edited a magazine before retiring from service in 1966. Joshi started her next phase of career as an author after her service as a civil servant of India. She published a number of books under the name of Esha Joshi.

Personal life

In 2004, it was reported that Joshi, who at that time was a 96-year-old widow, was being looked after by distant relatives in the servant quarters of a mansion on Kabir Marg in Lucknow. Following media reports, she was taken inside.

Major works