by BEENA SARWAR
As long as such people are with us, “dreams will remain alive, hope will remain alive. We will fight, we will win”, Kamla had said.
The annual international 16 Days of Activism against gender violence takes place this year without the pioneering feminist and poet Kamla Bhasin, even as her songs and poetry enliven many events during this period and beyond.
The 16 Days are observed annually starting November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. They end December 10, with international Human Rights Day. These are integrated issues that Kamla fought for all her life. And she did this with love, joy, music, poetry and compassion.
As she famously said, “I am a feminist, and I do not hate men. I am a feminist and I do not hate women who are not feminists. I am a feminist – and I laugh.”
She was very clear that the fight is not against men but against patriarchy and its associated evils – violence, discrimination and oppression. “Feminism is the radical notion that women are human” – it’s not about dominating men or wanting to be the same as men.
Kamla would have appreciated the slogan “Feminise to humanise” coined by her friend and fellow activist Lalita Ramdas. This is the title of an upcoming online event on November 28, part of a monthly series organised by the South Asia Peace Action Network, or Sapan. The series – themed ‘Imagine: Neighbours in Peace!’ – was a concept close to Kamla’s heart.
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