A heroine for all

Phulrenu Guha was certainly not unsung. She left her mark on her city

AS an active participant in the women8217;s movement in India, I congratulate Pamela Philipose for her extremely well chosen moments in the history of the Indian women8217;s movement for celebrating the 59th Independence Day of India Independence Day Women8217;, IE, August 15. While it was appropriate to mention Phulrenu Guha8217;s creation Towards Equality8217;, published in 1974, as the second landmark in the Indian women8217;s movement, it is unfortunate that she has given a misleading impression of what Phulrenu Guha stood for in the life of this city and in West Bengal at large.

She died in an old age home founded by herself, one of her many creations, out of her own choice. She was far from unnoticed and certainly not unsung. She was one of the most widely felicitated persons in West Bengal. When I felicitated her in 2004, she said it was the third felicitation she received from the Women8217;s Commission, West Bengal, of which she was a member for a while. I responded by saying that we shall do it again.

Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi kept in close touch, visiting her for Raksha Bandhan, among other occasions. Though an active member of the Indian National Congress, she was visited by supporters of all political parties, including the chairman of the Left Front, Biman Bose, and was widely acclaimed as 8216;Phuldi8217; by members of the Left women8217;s organisations. Her last letter to me as chairperson of the Women8217;s Commission was to express her deep sorrow that she was deprived of the opportunity of casting possibly the last vote in her life, due to misguided surveillance on the part of the Election Commissioner, whose officials removed her name from the polls at the last minute. As a result, when she had gone there in a wheelchair, having ascertained that her name was in the voter8217;s list, she found it was not there. My irate protest to the EC was never answered although Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was moved enough to acknowledge the copy I had endorsed to him.

The life of the city is still dotted with condolence meetings in her memory and obituaries being prepared for journals and newsletters. I thank Philipose for acknowledging her, but she must rejoice that she is not alone in this.

The writer is chairperson, West Bengal Commission for Women, Kolkata