Usha Mehta
Usha Mehta | |
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Born | |
Died | 11 August 2000 | (aged 80)
Education | Ph.D. in Gandhian Thought |
Occupations |
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Employers |
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Known for | Gandhian and freedom fighter of India |
Awards | Padma Vibhushan (1998) |
Usha Mehta (25 March 1920 – 11 August 2000
Early life
Usha Mehta was born in Saras, a village near
In 1928, eight-year-old Usha participated in a protest march against the Simon Commission and shouted her first words of protest against the British Raj: "Simon Go Back." She and other children participated in early morning protests against the British Raj and picketing in front of liquor shops. During one of these protests marches, the policemen charged the children, and a girl carrying the Indian flag fell down along with the flag. Angry at this incident, the children took the story to their parents. The elders responded by dressing up the children in the colours of the Indian flag (saffron, white and green) and sending them out in the streets a few days later. Dressed in the colours of the flag, the children marched again, shouting: "Policemen, you can wield your sticks and your batons, but you cannot bring down our flag."
Usha's father was a judge under the British Raj. He therefore did not encourage her to participate in the freedom struggle. However, this limitation was removed when her father retired in 1930. In 1932, when Usha was 12, her family moved to
Usha grew up highly influenced by Gandhi and became one of his followers. She made an early decision to remain celibate for life and took up a spartan, Gandhian lifestyle, wearing only
Usha's initial schooling was in Kheda and Bharuch and then in Chandaramji High School, Bombay. She was an average student. In 1935, her matriculation examinations placed her among the top 25 students in her class. She continued her education at Wilson College, Bombay, graduating in 1939 with a first-class degree in philosophy. She also began studying law, but ended her studies in 1942 to join the Quit India Movement. Thereafter, beginning at age 22, she participated in the freedom movement full-time.
Role in freedom struggle
Gandhi and the Congress had announced that the Quit India Movement would commence on 9 August 1942 with a rally at
On 14 August 1942, Usha and some of her close associates began the Secret Congress Radio, a clandestine radio station. It went air on 27 August.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a wing of the
Although the Secret Congress Radio functioned only for three months, it greatly assisted the movement by disseminating uncensored news and other information banned by the British-controlled government of India. Secret Congress Radio also kept the leaders of the freedom movement in touch with the public. Reminiscing about those days, Usha Mehta described her involvement with the Secret Congress Radio as her "finest moment" and also as her saddest moment, because an Indian technician had betrayed them to the authorities.
Post-independence
After her incarceration, Usha's failing health prevented her from participating in politics or social work. The day India gained independence, Usha Mehta was confined to bed and could not attend the official function in New Delhi. She later re-commenced her education and wrote a doctoral dissertation on the political and social thought of Gandhi, earning a PhD from the University of Bombay.[5] She had a long association with Mumbai university in many capacities: as a student, as a research assistant, as a lecturer, a professor, and finally as the head of the department of civics and politics. She retired from the University of Bombay in 1980.
Even after India's independence, Usha continued to be socially active, particularly in spreading the Gandhian thought and philosophy. Over the years, she authored many articles, essays, and books in
The Union of India conferred on her Padma Vibhushan in 1998,[7][8] the second highest civilian award of India.
Later years
With time, Usha grew increasingly unhappy with the developments taking place in the social, political, and economic spheres of independent India. Once, in an interview to India Today, she expressed her feelings in these words: "Certainly this is not the freedom we fought for." She added that the freedom fighters of her generation felt that "once people were ensconced in positions of power, the rot would set in." However, in her words, "we didn't know the rot would sink in so soon." Nevertheless, she did not deny the achievements of free India since the independence: "India has survived as a democracy and even built a good industrial base," she said. "Still, it is not the India of our dreams".[9]
In August 2000, although she was suffering from fever, Usha participated like she did every year in the anniversary celebrations related to the Quit India Movement in August Kranti Maidan. She returned home weak and exhausted. Two days later, she died peacefully on 11 August 2000 at the age of 80, survived by her elder brother and three nephews. One of her nephews,
See also
- Indian independence movement
- biopicon her efforts in running the Congress Radio.
References
- ^ "Gandhian Usha Mehta passes away". 12 August 2000.
- ^ ISBN 9788123025193.
- ^ Noted Gandhian Usha Mehta Dead, M.K. Gandhi.org. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ BBC News (14 August 2020). "The fiery Indian student who ran a secret radio station for independence". Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Usha Mehta, the secret Congress radiowoman". Rediff.com. 27 June 1997. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ Padma Awards Directory (1954-2013), Ministry of Home Affairs (Public Section), Government of India, 14 August 2013.
- ^ The fiery Indian student who ran a secret radio station for independence, BBC News, 15 August 2020.
- ^ [https://m.rediff.com/freedom/mehta1.htm Our expectations have not been fulfilled, our dreams haven't come true]
Further reading
- India's 50 Most Illustrious Women (ISBN 81-88086-19-3) by Indra Gupta