“The biggest slogan that feminism has given us is that the personal is the politcal…”
- Kamla Bhasin
Kamla Bhasin breathed her last on the 25th of September, 2021. With an activism that used rhyme, poetry and song, she brought together people from diverse communities. She transformed the childhoods of a whole generation by questioning traditional gender roles and stereotypes, through her rewriting of children’s tales and rhymes. Her words always reversed and subverted the patriarchal gaze. The story of her life’s work is particularly inspiring. A pioneer in the women’s movement in the country in the last century, Bhasin’s brand of activism was underscored by an unabashed celebration of the feminine spirt.
I quote from Urvashi Bhutalia‘s tribute in the Indian Express:
'…She did this through her formidable and unusual “arsenal” of feminist weapons: Laughter, joy, friendship, songs, slogans, art, dance, books and so much more…She set up institutions and campaigns: Jagori, of which she was an integral part, Sangat, through which she shared feminist concepts with less privileged women, One Billion Rising, a campaign that attempted to show that the numbers of women demanding their rights ran into billions.
Her enthusiasm and commitment to the women’s movement — her home and her belonging — meant that even personal tragedies, the loss of her young daughter, the lifelong illness of her son, did not deter her and she bounced back from each one, the laughter intact on her face, the hurt hidden in her heart. One of her favourite coinages was: “One does not fall in love, one rises in love” — something that was the truth of her life. Many such were shared privately with her feminist comrades amid much laughter: “Mary conceived without sinning, oh Lord let me sin without conceiving”, “We don’t want copper-T, we want proper T” and a song, “Amma dekh, amma dekh, teri movement bigda jaye”!’
What Bhasin did with sheer power of will, and a conviction that refused to budge in the face of great hardship, is truly remarkable. The number of tributes, and warm personal messages that have flooded social media, the many pledges to continue her work, by individuals from multiple intersections in the feminist movement, are a marker of the impact of her ideas.
It is said that “Ideas have children”. We are sitting here today, learning and flourishing in the playground of Bhasin’s offspring.
This short documentary, ‘A woman, by choice’ gives a glimpse into her life, and her songs. She quotes from a poem that she wrote after the death of her daughter. I share this poem with you today. The full text of the poem has been sourced from Sangat Network’s facebook page.
Rest in Power Kamla ji.
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