Welthy Fisher (nee Housinger) was born on 18 September 1879 in the town of Rome in the United States of America. In her earlier years she trained for opera singing and was a melodious singer., However, inspired by an evangelist, Dr. Robert Speers, she quit the glittering world of opera. Five years after her graduation from Syracus University in 1900 she left for China where she worked till 1917 as Principal of a school for girls in Nanchang in the Kiangsi province. Her first visit to India was in 1920.

After her marriage to Fredrick Bohn Fisher, a Methodist Bishop in India, she travelled extensively in the country. She also had the priviledge of meeting Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. After the death of her husband she dedicated herself to service of humanity with renewed vigour. She spent several years and visited several countries to study educational methodology. During the course of her visit to India in 1947, she met Mahatma Gandhi on 15 December 1947. Gandhiji had then advised her to go to villages and help the villagers. Welthy Fisher came back to India in 1952. She started an adult literacy class for the villagers in a verandah of the Agricultural Institute at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh in 1953.

She constantly experimented with various teaching aids, preparing and selecting books for the adult neo-literates and developed a literacy kit to equip a teacher to teach 25 students at a time. Later onshe moved from Allahabad to Lucknow, acquired land and, with the help of renowned architect Lauri Baker constructed "Saksharta Niketan' (Literacy House). For twenty years she devoted every minute of her waking hours to the welfare of the Indian villagers.

In 1973 she handed over the management of the institute to the Indian Literacy Board and went back to the United States, where she is still active in her chosen field of work. She has been honoured with many awards, the prestegious among them are Nehru Literacy Award, RamonMAgsaysay Literacy Award, Doctor of Philosophy (Honouris Causa) of the University of Syracuse, U.S. Government Special Award on the International Literacy Day in 1978, UNESCO Literacy Prize, etc.

The P & T Department is privileged to issue a special stamp to honour a devoted friend of India.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India