Hansa Jivraj Mehta

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Hansa Jivraj Mehta
Born
1897-07-03
Baroda state





Hansa Jivraj Mehta (3 July 1897 – 4 April 1995)[1] was a reformist, social activist, educator, independence activist, feminist and writer from India.[2][3]

Early life

Hansa Mehta was born in a Nagar Brahmin family on 3 July 1897. She was a daughter of Manubhai Mehta, Dewan of Baroda State, and the granddaughter of Nandshankar Mehta, the author of the first Gujarati novel Karan Ghelo.[1][4]

She graduated with Philosophy in 1918. She studied journalism and sociology in England. In 1918, she met Sarojini Naidu and later Mahatma Gandhi in 1922.[4][5]

She was married to Jivraj Narayan Mehta, an eminent physician and administrator who was the first Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Career

Politics, education and activism

Hansa Mehta organized the picketing of shops selling foreign clothes and liquor, and participated in other freedom movement activities in line with the advice of Mahatma Gandhi. She was even arrested and sent to jail by the British along with her husband in 1932. Later she was elected to Bombay Legislative Council.[2]

After independence, she was among the 15 women who were part of the constituent assembly that drafted the Indian Constitution.[6] She was a member of the Advisory Committee and Sub Committee on Fundamental Rights.[7] She advocated for equality and justice for women in India.[8][4][9]

Hansa was elected to Bombay Schools Committee in 1926 and became president of All India Women's Conference in 1945–46. In her presidential address at the All India Women's Conference convention held in Hyderabad, she proposed a Charter of Women's Rights. She held different posts in India from 1945 to 1960 - the vice-chancellor of SNDT Women's University, member of All India Secondary Board of Education, president of Inter University Board of India and vice-chancellor of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda,[5] among others.

Hansa represented India on the Nuclear Sub-Committee on the status of women in 1946. As the Indian delegate on the UN Human Rights Commission in 1947–48, she was responsible for changing the language of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from "all men are created equal" to "all human beings",[10] highlighting the need for gender equality.[11] Hansa later went on to become the vice chairman of the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations in 1950. She was also a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO.[3][12]

Literary career

She wrote several children's books in Gujarati including Arunnu Adbhut Swapna (1934), Bablana Parakramo (1929), Balvartavali Part 1-2 (1926, 1929). She translated some books of Valmiki Ramayana: Aranyakanda, Balakanda and Sundarakanda. She translated many English stories, including Gulliver's Travels. She had also adapted some plays of Shakespeare. Her essays were collected and published as Ketlak Lekho (1978).[2][5]

Bibliography

In Gujarati, Hindi and Tamil

  • Traṇa nāṭako. (1926). Mumbaī : Haṃsā Mhetā Template:Oclc
  • Mehta, Hansa; Swift, Jonathan. Goḷībāranī musāpharī. Vaḍodarā : Bālajīvana Kāryālaya (1931) Template:Oclc
  • Rukmiṇī. (1933). Vaḍodarā : Ārya Sudhāraka Presa Template:Oclc Template:In lang
  • Aruṇanuṃ adbhuta svapna. (1934). Mumbaī : Haṃsā Mahetā Template:Oclc
    • Mehta, S. Haṅsa. (1950). Arunnanu adbhuta svapṅa. Ahmedabad, India : Gujar Granth Ratna Karyalaya Template:Oclc
  • Bāḷavārtāvali [Bacchanal]. (1939). Mumbaī : Sola ejaṇṭa, Śishṭa Sāhitya Bhaṇḍāra Template:Oclc
  • Himālaya svarūpa ane bījaṃ nāṭako. Śishṭa.
  • Mehta, Hansa. Trana natako ane bijam [Three plays and so on]. (1956). Template:Oclc
  • Mehta, Hansa; Cimanalāla, Candravadana; Sitāṃśu, Yaśaścandra. Keṭalāka lekha. Mumbaī : Phārbasa Gujarātī Sabhā (1977) Template:Oclc
  • Mehta, Hansa; Collodi, Carlo. Bavlana prakramo [Brave feats] Rajkot : Pravin Rajkot (1993) Template:Oclc
  • Mehta, Hansa. Ram Katha. [The story of Ram] (1993). Delhi : National Book Trust. Template:Oclc Template:In lang
  • Mehta, Hansa. Ayotiyin iḷavarasan. (2004). Delhi : National Book Trust. Template:ISBN Template:Oclc Template:In lang

In English

  • Post-war educational reconstruction: with special reference to women's education in India. (----) Bombay : Pratibha Template:Oclc
  • The Woman under the Hindu Law of Marriage & Succession. (1944). p. 52, Bombay : Pratibha Publications. Template:Oclc
  • Hansa, Mehta. (ed.) "Civil liberties". (1945). for the All-India Women's Conference, Aundh : Aundh Pub. Trust, Template:Oclc
  • Indian woman. (1981). New Delhi : Butala Template:Oclc Template:In lang

Translation

into English

  • King of Ujjainī; VIKRAMĀDITYA Haṃsā; Mehta, Hansa. The Adventures of King Vikrama. (Selections from Ṣāmala Bhaṭa's Gujarati version of Siṃhāsana-batrīsī. With plates.) (1948). Bombay : Oxford University Press, pp.vii, 150. Template:Oclc
    • Mehta, Hansa; Shukla, V. K. Adventures of King Vikrama. (1954) London : Oxford Univ. Press, Template:Oclc
  • Sarma, D.S.; Mehta, Hansa. The prince of Ayodhya. New Delhi : National Book Trust, India : Chief stockists in India, Thomson Press (India) (1974). Template:Oclc Template:In lang
  • Une femme d'aujourd'hui: roman. (1966). Paris : Albin Michel. Template:Oclc Template:In lang

Awards

Hansa Mehta was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1959.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gujarati Vishwakosh (Gujarati Encyclopedia){{#if:Trivedi|, Trivedi}. Gujarati Vishwakosh Trust(2002)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gandhi's Passion: The Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi{{#if:Wolpert|, Wolpert}. Oxford University Press(5 April 2001). ISBN 9780199923922
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Women Role Models: Some Eminent Women of Contemporary India{{#if:Srivastava|, Srivastava}. Concept Publishing Company(2006). ISBN 9788180693366
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hansa Jivraj Mehta: Freedom fighter, reformer; India has a lot to thank her for. The Indian Express(2018-01-22). Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 વીસમી સદીનું ગુજરાતી નારીલેખન{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Sahitya Akademi(2005). ISBN 8126020350
  6. ↑ The women who helped draft our constitution. Mint(13 March 2016). Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ CADIndia. cadindia.clpr.org.in. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  8. ↑ CADIndia. cadindia.clpr.org.in. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  9. ↑ Denial of rights, RAJU, M. P.. Frontline. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
  10. ↑ Women, Development and the UN{{#if:Jain|, Jain}. Indiana University Press(2005)
  11. ↑ http://www.un.int/india/india%20&%20un/humanrights.pdf Template:Webarchive
  12. ↑ Contemporary art in Baroda{{#if:Dhanoa|, Dhanoa}. Tulika(1997). ISBN 9788185229041
  13. ↑ Hansa Jivraj Mehta. Praful Thakkar's Thematic Gallery of Indian Autographs. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

Template:PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1954–59

Template:Authority control

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