Hansa Jivraj Mehta: A great feminist, reformer and feminist.

Hansa Jivraj Mehta: A great feminist, reformer and feminist.

Indian state, Gujarat has given wonderful men personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel to the world and has also given the wonderful female personality like Hansa Jivraj Mehta who has been completely forgotten in today’s India. Hansa Jivraj Mehta was a reformer, educator, prolific writer, social activist and freedom fighter. She has played important role by bringing the notion of gender equality into a document on Universal Declaration of Human Rights *(UDHR).  Earlier this document was read as “All men are free an equal”, after the recommendation from Hansa Mehta, it is being read as, “All human beings are born free and equal”. Due to this change, whole world is thankful to the daughter of India.

From Yogesh Gogwekar

Hansa Mehta was born on 3^rd July 1897 in Brahmin Family. Her father Manubhai Mehta was Dewan of Baroda state. She had been sent to England to study when she was a child. In London, she studied Sociology and Journalism. After finishing her studies, she returned back to India in 1918. In the same year, she met Mahatma Gandhi and joined in freedom movement along with Sarojini Naidu. During the freedom struggle, she met with her life partner Jivraj Mehta who was London-trained physician and used to attend Mahatma Gandhi on regular basis. There was a big controversy about this marriage as Brahmin girl is getting married with Vaishya man. Fortunately, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikawad of Baroda helped them to get marry and promoted such inter-cast marriage.

Even after marriage, Hansa Mehta continued to participate in freedom movement and other social activities. In 1930, she along with Kamala Nehru arrived at Delhi railway station by shouting Inquilaab Zindabaad. This resulted in her arrest.  Dr, Jivraj Mehta was not an active politician but he had been arrested due to his wife who was actively involved in freedom movement. After releasing from Jail, she contested the election for Bombay legislature council in 1937 and won the same. She served two terms on the council and later on joined the constitution Assembly on 19^th December 1946.

In Constitution Assembly, she discussed on fundamental right for women from political, social and economic point. She was advocating the progressive Common Civil Code. She was a pioneer of passing Sarda act which forbade Child marriage and abolition of Devdasi System. She worked for getting better education facilities to all women and reformation of personal laws.

She worked with Dr B R Ambedkar in the process of drafting Hindu Code Bill and helped him to amend and codify certain branches on the contentious issues of property rights, inheritance laws, divorce and adoptions. Even after so many discussion, imperfection did remain in the bill, but still supported this bill by saying, ” This Bill to codify the Hindu Law is a revolutionary Bill and though we are not quite satisfied with it, it will be a great landmark in the social history of the Hindus. But since this Bill was drafted, many things have happened, and one of the biggest things that have happened is the achievement of our political freedom. The new State is going to be a democratic State and democracy is based on the equality of individuals. It is from this point of view that we have now to approach the problems of inheritance and marriage, etc., those are before us,”

After Independence, She worked in United Nations Human Right Council and also became the vice-chancellor of Sayaji University of Baroda. She has not only written several Children book in Gujarati language but also translated many English literatures in Gujarati language. Her husband was the first Chief Minister of Gujarat state.

At the time of reading the history of Constitution Assembly, I came across the name of Hansa Mehta and her remarkable contribution for bringing gender equality. Therefore, it is very important to remember her on our every Republic Day. At last, I am finishing this writing by quoting her quote on 15^th August 1947.

“We have donned the saffron colour; we have fought, suffered and sacrificed in the cause of our country’s freedom. We have today attained our goal. In presenting this symbol of our freedom, we once more offer our services to the nation,” she said.

Salute to the great daughter of India who has been awarded with Padma Bhushan in 1959.

Mumbai

27.12.2019.