The fear of freedom in Gujarat
Earlier this week, Jignesh Mevani, an elected member of the Gujarat assembly, was stopped from speaking at the H.K. Arts College in Ahmedabad, where he had himself once studied. He had been invited by the principal, who was forced to rescind the invitation by the college’s trustees, who had been intimidated by Hindutva hooligans. The principal and his vice-principal resigned in protest. I tweeted in praise of their decision, saying that “they represent the best traditions of Gujarat. Patel, Gandhi, and Hansa Mehta would have been proud of them”.
Now Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi are names known to every reader of this column. However, Hansa Mehta is largely forgotten even in Gujarat, so I should say something about her. She was one-half of a great patriotic couple. Her husband, Jivraj Mehta, was a London-trained physician who had often attended on Gandhi, and was himself jailed for long periods during the freedom struggle. Hansa, meanwhile, was active in the All India Women’s Conference, promoting gender equality in society and in politics.