A renowned name in the world of gender studies, feminist icon Kamla Bhasin passed away on the morning of September 25. She died at 75.
Bhasin's work has been translated into nearly 30 languages and she has written extensively on patriarchy and gender. Throughout her life, she has been part of various movements and organisations that worked at the grassroots — notably SANGAT, a South Asian Feminist network and JAGORI, a women’s resource and training centre. Bhasin was the South Asia coordinator for the worldwide campaign to end violence against women.
In 2017, Bhasin was honoured with the Laadli Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in women’s development in Asia spanning over 35 years. Several academicians, activists and intellectuals took to Twitter to express grief. Journalist and researcher Pamela Philipose tweeted, "Kamla Bhasin's passing away brings to an end a major phase of the feminist movement. Will always recall her vibrancy, her love for music, her ability to put feminist principles into poem(s), her infectious laughter, the effortless way she touched everyone's lives. Zindabad Kamla!"
Historian of science and modern political history, S Irfan Habib, said in a tweet that he lost a dear friend. He tweeted, "Very sad to hear about the tragic demise of a dear friend and an exceptional human being Kamla Bhasin. We were just discussing her health yesterday but never realised that she would leave us the next day. You will be terribly missed."
Pooja Priyamvada, a columnist and a professional translator posted a picture of her and Bhasin and said, "#KamlaBhasin, teacher, mentor and now grandteacher and grandmentor to our next generation, shall miss your music, your poetry, your resilience & most of all the warmth that you infused in all our feminist work. The li'l one remembers you today & always, your legacy shall live on."
