(Feminist icon Kamla Bhasin passed away in the wee hours of Saturday, 25 September. This video, which was first published on 10 June 2017, has been reposted from The Quint’s archives to mark her demise.)
Kamla Bhasin, a feminist who has been fighting for equal rights for over 40 years, is also someone who has given us a chant that defines this generation.
Bhasin travelled to neighbouring countries while working with the UN in the 1980s. She went to Pakistan in 1984, when the country was led by General Zia-ul-Haq.
The azaadi song that especially became popular after JNU students Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid chanted it is actually borrowed from Pakistan.
According to The Nation, Pakistani women realised for the first time in 1983 that they have to struggle against General Zia-ul-Haq’s ‘Islamization’ process. The ‘Islamization’ was not only discriminatory, but also deprived women of their basic rights in a radical society.
It was at this moment that women began chanting the ‘azaadi’ slogan, first in closed doors and then out on the streets, demanding equal rights.
The iconic dupatta-burning protest by Pakistani feminists against the ‘Islamization’ of Zia regime, that became the symbol of resistance for future generations of feminists in Pakistan. Image dated 12 February 1983.
When Bhasin brought the ‘azaadi’ slogan to India, she moulded it to suit the Indian context, our issues and our problems. She says:
The song has become an intrinsic part of popular culture, especially after the movie Gully Boy adopted it. Bhasin, however, is not sure if the movie-makers adapted it from her or somewhere else.
Editor: Puneet Bhatia
Camera: Shiv Kumar Maurya
(With inputs from The Nation)
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