Comments on: Prof. Neera Desai – pioneer of Women’s Studies in India http://www.blogbharti.com/madhat/india/prof-neera-desai-pioneer-of-womens-studies-in-india/ Voices from the Indian Blogosphere Sat, 20 Mar 2010 06:26:05 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: rameswari varma http://www.blogbharti.com/madhat/india/prof-neera-desai-pioneer-of-womens-studies-in-india/comment-page-1/#comment-15148 rameswari varma Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:58:23 +0000 http://www.blogbharti.com/?p=5253#comment-15148 i am one of the admirers of neera desai,and was really saddened by the news of her death.she has inspired several yscholars of women's studies.she was indeed a pioneer in several ways-particularly in developing a proper perspective to the approach to women's studies. she was a real"gentlewoman"Dear Neera ben,we will really miss you. i am one of the admirers of neera desai,and was really saddened by the news of her death.she has inspired several yscholars of women’s studies.she was indeed a pioneer in several ways-particularly in developing a proper perspective to the approach to women’s studies. she was a real”gentlewoman”Dear Neera ben,we will really miss you.

]]> By: Prof. Vibhuti Patel http://www.blogbharti.com/madhat/india/prof-neera-desai-pioneer-of-womens-studies-in-india/comment-page-1/#comment-14500 Prof. Vibhuti Patel Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:45:08 +0000 http://www.blogbharti.com/?p=5253#comment-14500 Obituary by Vibhuti Patel Neeraben, we salute your spirit Prof Dr Neera Desai, a pioneer of Women's Studies in India and creator of a model women’s studies centre that combined the ethos of women’s studies and women’s movement at the SNDT University, Mumbai passed away on 25th June 2009 at the age of 84. In Vadodara, I used to attend study circle of Dr. A.R. Desai since 1970, during each Diwali and Summer vacation, on Marxism. In the process we got introduced to his wife, Dr. Neera Desai in 1972. We invited her to our organisation Study and Struggle Alliance and she spoke to us about Status of Women in India Committee. When Towards Equality Report came out in 1974, she gave a talk. Till then my reading of Women's Liberation was only about Western feminists such as Eveleen Reed, Mary Alice Waters, Kate Millet, Betty Frieden and Simon de' Bouvoir. She was happy that I had translated several essays of Reed in her book "Problems of women's Liberation". It was in 1979, when I went to see her with Madhu Kishwar, armed with the first issue of Manushi, she confronted us sharply. In the reading list published in Manushi, we had mentioned Altekar, M.N. Srinivas and all those who had published books on women. We had an animated debate on their works. She gave us a copy of her book, Women in Modern India. After reading it, my relationship with her took 180 degree turn. From a sympathiser of the left movement, she became a fellow feminist. She also taught us that we needed to get out of abstractions and generalisations and needed to examine our own reality and evolve the intellectual tools rooted in our society. She also convinced many women activist like me that for an effective women's movement, we needed strong analytical skills and must orient our energies towards women's studies. To construct knowledge on women with women's sensitivities, sensibilities and women's prism, we needed five arms-Panch Mahabhootas- Teaching, training, documetation, research and action. Young women activists and researchers named her as "mothers of women's studies" as she was always available to 4 generations of women with her wisdom, intellect, information, advice and sharing of experiences. What we liked in her was the relationship of mutual respect, she never preached. With her there was a bond based on equality. Neera Desai was one of the founding members of the Indian Association for Women's Studies, Gujarat Association of women’s Studies and Maharashtra Association of women’s Studies. She was one of the mainstays of India Centre for Human Rights and Law in Mumbai, Centre for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS, Delhi). She was closely associated with feminist groups such as Vacha (Mumbai), Astitva (Valsad) and Sahiyar (Vadodara). During 1990s, she was on the Advisory Board of CEHAT (Mumbai) in its formative years. She was a member of the consultative Committee of Sophia Centre for women's Studies and Development, Sophia College, Mumbai. Young women activists and researchers named her as "mother of women's studies" as she was always available to 4 generations of women with her wisdom, intellect, information, advice and sharing of experiences. What we liked in her was the relationship of mutual respect, she never preached. Neeraben occupied unique position in institutional and individual memory because she not only built institutions; she also built feminists and women’s studies scholars! Obituary by Vibhuti Patel Neeraben, we salute your spirit
Prof Dr Neera Desai, a pioneer of Women’s Studies in India and creator of a model women’s studies centre that combined the ethos of women’s studies and women’s movement at the SNDT University, Mumbai passed away on 25th June 2009 at the age of 84.
In Vadodara, I used to attend study circle of Dr. A.R. Desai since 1970, during each Diwali and Summer vacation, on Marxism. In the process we got introduced to his wife, Dr. Neera Desai in 1972. We invited her to our organisation Study and Struggle Alliance and she spoke to us about Status of Women in India Committee. When Towards Equality Report came out in 1974, she gave a talk. Till then my reading of Women’s Liberation was only about Western feminists such as Eveleen Reed, Mary Alice Waters, Kate Millet, Betty Frieden and Simon de’ Bouvoir. She was happy that I had translated several essays of Reed in her book “Problems of women’s Liberation”.

It was in 1979, when I went to see her with Madhu Kishwar, armed with the first issue of Manushi, she confronted us sharply. In the reading list published in Manushi, we had mentioned Altekar, M.N. Srinivas and all those who had published books on women. We had an animated debate on their works. She gave us a copy of her book, Women in Modern India. After reading it, my relationship with her took 180 degree turn. From a sympathiser of the left movement, she became a fellow feminist. She also taught us that we needed to get out of abstractions and generalisations and needed to examine our own reality and evolve the intellectual tools rooted in our society. She also convinced many women activist like me that for an effective women’s movement, we needed strong analytical skills and must orient our energies towards women’s studies. To construct knowledge on women with women’s sensitivities, sensibilities and women’s prism, we needed five arms-Panch Mahabhootas- Teaching, training, documetation, research and action. Young women activists and researchers named her as “mothers of women’s studies” as she was always available to 4 generations of women with her wisdom, intellect, information, advice and sharing of experiences. What we liked in her was the relationship of mutual respect, she never preached. With her there was a bond based on equality.

Neera Desai was one of the founding members of the Indian Association for Women’s Studies, Gujarat Association of women’s Studies and Maharashtra Association of women’s Studies. She was one of the mainstays of India Centre for Human Rights and Law in Mumbai, Centre for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS, Delhi). She was closely associated with feminist groups such as Vacha (Mumbai), Astitva (Valsad) and Sahiyar (Vadodara). During 1990s, she was on the Advisory Board of CEHAT (Mumbai) in its formative years. She was a member of the consultative Committee of Sophia Centre for women’s Studies and Development, Sophia College, Mumbai.

Young women activists and researchers named her as “mother of women’s studies” as she was always available to 4 generations of women with her wisdom, intellect, information, advice and sharing of experiences. What we liked in her was the relationship of mutual respect, she never preached.

Neeraben occupied unique position in institutional and individual memory because she not only built institutions; she also built feminists and women’s studies scholars!

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