Millions of women got identity recognised through committed work of Ela Bhatt

By Amarjeet Kaur*
The All India Trade Union Congress has sent its deepest condolences on the demise of Ela Bhatt, a Gandhian, labour rights activist and the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). She was 86 and remained actively associated with SEWA activities till very recently. Her death is a loss to the labour rights movement in India. AITUC dips its flag in salute and honour of Ela Bhatt and shares the agony of the bereaved members of her family and SEWA who suffer the loss.
Committed to the cause of workers and women’s rights, Ela Bhatt has won accolades for her contribution. She was a member of ‘The Elders’, the group of world leaders that was formed by Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu to contribute wisdom to some of the international issues including the Palestine issue. Her hard work won rewards and recognition. Millions of women got their identity recognised through the committed works of Ela Bhatt.
At this juncture when the labour rights and women’s rights are being denied and snatched away, at this important time of history when the trade union movement in this country is waging a struggle to retain the hard won rights while also pursuing for the rights to sustain and grow, Ela Bhatt’s loss is indeed a great loss.
Her legacy may be carried forward by SEWA with all commitment and conviction.
---
General Secretary, AITUC

Comments

Manmade disaster? Infrastructure projects in, around Vadodara caused 'devastating' floods

Counterview Desk In a letter to local, Gujarat, and Indian authorities, several concerned citizens* have said that there has been devastating flood and waterlogging situation in Vadodara region since Monday 26th August 2024 which was "avoidable", stating, this has happened because of "multiple follies, flaws and fallacies across all levels of governance."

Everyone we meet is a teacher – if we only know how to connect the dots

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* We observe Teacher's Day on 05 September every year. In my journey from being a student and later a teacher which of course involves being a life-long student, I have come across many teachers who have never entered the portals of a educational institution, in addition to those to whom we pay our respects on Teachers Day.

Labeled as social lending, peer-to-peer system is fundamentally profit-driven

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak The Sumerian civilisation, one of the earliest known societies, had sophisticated systems of lending, borrowing, credit, and debt. These systems were based on mutual trust and social currency, allowing individuals to engage in economic transactions without the need for physical money or barter. Instead, social bonds and communal trust underpinned these interactions, facilitating trade and the distribution of resources.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Shared culture 'makes it easy' to talk about Indo-Pak friendship across the border in Punjab

By Sandeep Pandey* The Socialist Party (India) recently organized a India Pakistan Peace and Friendship March during 9 to 14 August, 2024 from Mansa to Atari-Wagha border in Amritsar District. Since the Modi government has come to power it has become difficult to cross the border otherwise it would have been a march going inside Pakistan as one was organized in 2005 between Delhi and Multan.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad* The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

Teachers in conflict zones displaying 'extraordinary commitment, courage' in the face of adversity

By Bharat Dogra* While the devastation of conflict and war zones often draws attention to the tragic loss of life, a less visible yet equally alarming crisis unfolds over time: the disruption of education. This turmoil poses a significant threat to the future prospects of children and their opportunities for growth.

'Historic': Battling jellyfish stings, fierce tides, Tanvi, mother of two, swam across English channel

By Harsh Thakor* On June 30, 2024, Tanvi Chavan Deore, a 33-year-old swimmer and mother of two from Nashik, Maharashtra, made headlines by becoming the first Indian mother to successfully swim across the English Channel. This grueling 42-kilometer stretch of water between the UK and France is widely regarded as one of the most challenging swimming feats in the world.

Search This Blog