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Sunday, September 25, 2016

Hansa Mehta Educationist

HANSA MEHTA:
Date of Birth:  July 3, 1897 and Date of death: April 4, 1995
Hansa Mehta Educationist
Hansa Mehta was an educationist and she was the first woman to be appointed Vice-Chancellor of a co-educational University in India. She was a prolific-writer and an orator. She was a freedom fighter who made it her mission to free India. She actively took part in the freedom struggle and had to suffer imprisonment many a times. She was known as the dictator of Bombay.
On the historic occasion of the transfer of power, Hansa Mehta had the privilege of presenting the “National Flag” to the nation on behalf of the women of India. On the International scene, Hansa Mehta represented India on the Nuclear Sub-Commission on the Status of Women in the United Nations.
Hansa mehta was born on 3rd July 1897 at Surat in a Nagar Grahasta family that was well known for their liberal views, scholarship and administrative capabilities. She was the daughter of Manubhai Mehta who started his career as Professor of Philosophy in Baroda College rose through ability and merit to be the Prime Minister of Baroda State. Her paternal grandfather, Nandshankar Tuljashankar Mehta, was the first to write a novel in Gujarati in prose. She was sent to school and college in Baroda. She graduated from the Baroda College, and then affiliated to the Bombay University, with B.A. (Hons) in Philosophy. She and her older sister, Jayashri Raiji was the third among Gujarati women to obtain a college degree. She sailed for England to study journalism.
Hansaben married Dr. Jivraj N.Mehta, who was then the Chief Medical Officer of Baroda State. It was a Pratiloma marriage, which created uproar among the Nagar Grahasta community. They held meetings protesting against the marriage of a woman belonging to the highest caste to a Vaishya. She was ex-communicated from her community. But her father and other members of her family approved of the marriage, and the reformer Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad of Baroda was so pleased with this inter-caste marriage that he attended all the wedding festivities. The couples further moved to Bombay where Dr Jivraj started and developed the K.E.M. Hospital and G.S.Medical College of which he had been appointed the first Dean.
Hansaben came under the influence of Gandhiji and joined India's national freedom movement. She organized picketing of shops selling foreign clothes as well as liquor shops, and participated in other freedom movement activities. As the 'dictator' of Bombay she led a mammoth procession on which was joined by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and some other Congress Working Committee members. The procession was dispersed by a lathi charge and Hansaben was arrested. In her Presidential address at the All-India Women's Conference convention held in Hyderabad, Hansaben proposed a Charter of Women's Rights. The Charter proved useful in clarifying the woman's status and for pressing for suitable legislation regarding the same. The first such legislation that was taken up was the codification of the Hindu Law.
Hansaben was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. On the historic occasion of the transfer of power, she had the privilege of presenting the' National Flag" to the nation on behalf of the women of India. On the International scene, Hansaben represented India on the Nuclear Sub-Commission on the Status of Women in the United Nations. She represented India on the United Nations Human Rights Commission that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She was a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO and led Indian delegations to several international conferences. In India, she was associated with many educational, social and cultural organizations. In recognition of her contribution to social service, Hansaben was awarded the Padma Bhushan. She was also conferred the Hon.D.Litt by the Allahabad University and by the M.S. University of Baroda. The Leeds University of United Kingdom conferred on her an Honorary Doctorate.

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