Women's Rights Activist Kamla Bhasin Passes Away

Kamla Bhasin death: Women’s rights activist Kamla Bhasin passed away on 25 September, 2021. She has succumbed to cancer. Activist Kavita Srivastava wrote on Twitter, "Kamla Bhasin, our dear friend, passed away around 3 am today 25th Sept. This is a big setback for the women's movement in India and the South Asian region. She celebrated life whatever the adversity. Kamla you will always live in our hearts. In Sisterhood, which is in deep grief."

She was born on 24 April 1946 in Rajasthan. Her father was a doctor. She grew up with five siblings. She is best known for her work with Sangat - A Feminist Network and for her poem ">Kyunki main ladki hoon, mujhe padhna hai that highlighted the importance of education in a girl's life.

Famous Quotes

“I know enough women who are totally patriarchal, who are totally anti-women: who do nasty things to other women, and I have known men who have worked for women’s rights their whole life. Feminism is not biological: feminism is an ideology” - Kamla Bhasin

In a seminar organised by Delhi University, she had explained the dichotomy present between sex and gender. While sex is the biological aspect of the person, gender is a societal concept. “Nature didn’t distinguish between men and women. The only difference was that we (women) have been given the power to reproduce. But we still have most of the leadership positions held by men".

Talking about patriarchy, she had said, ”Most of the violence inflicted on people is by men. They feel it is masculine to hide their emotions and become violent. Patriarchy dehumanizes men. It affects them as much as women.” Read more about it here. 

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