July

2nd July 2009: Delhi High Court Decriminalizes Homosexuality

On July 2, 2009, Justice A.P. Shah, then chief justice of the Delhi high court, and Justice S. Muralidhar decriminalized homosexuality in India for the first time. They held that Section 377 of the IPC, that made ‘unnatural sex’ a criminal offense, as violating Article 21 (right to life), 14 (right to equality) and 15 (non-discrimination on grounds of sex and gender) of the constitution.

The verdict in Naz Foundation vs Government of NCT of Delhi held that treating homosexual sex between consenting adults as a crime was a violation of their fundamental rights.

4th July 1912: Birth Anniversary of Dakshayani Velayudhan

Dakshayani Velayudhan was an Indian freedom fighter, anti-caste advocate and stateswoman. She was the first Dalit woman to graduate in India. Having had to endure the double vulnerabilities of caste and gender, she recounted how she was the only female in her B.Sc Chemistry class and the upper caste teacher refused to instruct her.

Ms. Velayudhan was the only Dalit woman member of the Constituent Assembly of India and helped draft the Constitution of India. She argued for reforms against untouchability.

She passed away on the 20th of July, 1978.

4th July 1978: Death Anniversary of Ammu Swaminathan

Ammu Swaminathan was an Indian freedom fighter, anti-caste advocate and stateswoman. In 1917, she co-founded the Women’s India Association, which tried to address the social and economic issues of women labourers.

She was a strong advocate for universal adult franchise, equal constitutional rights for women, pro-women legislation to reform succession, inheritance and marriage laws and maternity benefits for women.

In 1946, she was elected into the Constituent Assembly from Madras and contributed to the drafting of the Indian Constitution. She called out the subtle caste practices and prejudices of her fellow patriots in the freedom movement, often making them realise their mistake.

6th July 1907: Birth Anniversary of Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican surrealist painter, activist and feminist who was known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by nature and the artifacts of Mexico. She is one of the most instantly recognizable artists in the world.

Known to defy gender stereotypes and be open about her sexuality, Ms. Kahlo was known to paint real women and their experiences. Her sufferings, identity and self-acceptance inspired her art.

Although her works received considerable interest in her lifetime, she gained iconic status posthumously and is celebrated among feminist, the LGBTQ community and Chicanos. She passed away on 13th July 1954.

6th July 1954: Death Anniversary of Cornelia Sorabji

Cornelia Sorabji was the first female graduate from Bombay University, the first female student at Oxford, the first woman to pass Bachelor of Civil Laws examination in England, the first woman to be admitted as a reader to the Codrington Library of All Souls College, Oxford and the first woman to practise law in India.

Despite having cleared the Bar in Oxford and Bombay University, she was called to the bar and recognized as Barrister in both places only 30 years later. In the interim, she dedicated she expertise to cases involving women and orphans in India, though she wasn’t allowed to plead the cases for her clients.

Her social reform projects like the League for Infant Welfare, Maternity, and District Nursing, didn’t receive support from prominent Indian leaders after she withdrew support to the freedom movement and defended colonization.

8th July 2001: Arrest of Arif Jafar under IPC Section 377

Arif Jafar is an LGBT activist based in Lucknow, who identifies as homosexual. On 8th July 2001, Mr. Jafar, along with four of his colleagues at the Bharosa Trust, a community-based organisation providing information, counselling, outreach and peer support for homosexual and transgender people, was arrested under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. Prior to formally being arrested, the men were beated up in public by the police.

The organisation’s offices were ransacked and raided and a media campaign painted the men as immoral sexual predators. They were held in prison for 47 days where they were denied drinking water and beaten up regularly.

9th July 2005: French translation of "Penn Yen Adimaiyanal? (Why were women enslaved?)"

"Penn Yen Adimaiyanal? (Why were women enslaved?)" authored by social reformer Thantai Periyar reflected his views on marriage, motherhood and prostitution. This work greatly influenced his followers in the ‘Self-respect Movement’. This French translation of the book was released in Paris on the 9th of July, 2005.

11th July 2004: Rape and Murder of Thangjam Manorama Devi

On July 11, 2004, Thangjam Manorama Devi was arrested from her home by the soldiers of the paramilitary Assam Rifles and killed while in their custody. Her mutilated and bullet-ridden corpse was left in a field not far from her home.

Investigations revealed that she was tortured and raped before being killed. She was an activist in Manipur who was accused of having links with banned separatist groups by the army. No police complaint was ever filed against Manorama. Since the Assam Rifles was deployed under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, the perpetrators of the crime couldn’t be brought to justice. Manorama’s torture and murder led to widespread protests in the Manipur and other parts of the country against AFSPA.

12th July 1942: Formation of the Rani Jhansi Regiment, Indian National Army

The Rani of Jhansi Regiment was the Women's Regiment of the Indian National Army, the armed force formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in Southeast Asia with the aim of overthrowing the British Raj in colonial India, with Japanese assistance.

It was one of the very few all-female combat regiments of the Second World War on any side. Led by Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan, the unit was raised in July 1943 with volunteers from the expatriate Indian population in Southeast Asia. The unit was named the Rani of Jhansi Regiment after Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi.

12th July 2013: Malala Day

On July 12, 2013, Malala Yousafzai, delivered an impassioned speech at the United Nations (UN) headquarters on the need for gender equality in education.

The address saw several rounds of standing ovations for the teenager and the day, July 12, which is also her birthday, was soon declared by the UN as Malala Day in honour of the young activist.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, making her the youngest Nobel laureate at age 17.

13th July 2013: Death Anniversary of Sharmila Rege

Sharmila Rege was an Indian sociologist, feminist scholar and author of Writing Caste, Writing Gender. She led the Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule Women's Studies Centre, (the department of Gender Studies) at University of Pune a position she occupied since 1991. Rege was one of the leading feminist scholars in India, whose work in developing a 'Dalit Standpoint Perspective' has been crucial in opening up feminist debates in India to questions of class, caste, religion and sexuality. She received the Malcolm Adiseshiah award for distinguished contribution to development studies from the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS) in 2006.

14th July 2017: Death Anniversary of Maryam Mirzakhani

Maryam Mirzakhani was an Iranian mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. Her research and theorems are considered path-breaking and have been acknowledged to have led to innovative break-throughs in their particular fields.

She was honored with the Blumenthal Award, the Satter Prize and the Clay Research Award. In 2014, she received the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics. She is the only woman and the first Iranian to be honored with the award.

14th July 2018: First Transperson appointed as Judge in Assam

On 14th July 2018, Swati Bidhan Baruah, became the first transperson to be appointed as a judge in Assam.

The appointment became possible after she filed a PIL in the Guwahati High Court for non-implementation of a 2014 Supreme Court order (the NALSA judgement) on the welfare of transgenders.

Swati is an activist who has been a crusader for trans rights in Assam. In 2012, she was forced to move court when her family objected to her decision to undergo a sex reassignment surgery.

The landmark ruling in her favour has been cited as a casestudy for similar cases in the country and has also been refered to by policy makers in India.

15th July 1907: Death Anniversary of Qiu Jin

Qiu Jin, a chinese revolutionary, feminist and writer. She organised revolts against the Qing Dynasty and was responsible for uniting thousands of Chinese students and women against oppressive gender and social practices prevalent at the time. Her sobriquet Jianhu Nüxia, means ‘Woman Knight of Mirror Lake’. Apart from moving propoganda literature, her writings reflect an exceptional education in classical literature, and she wrote traditional feminist poetry (shi and ci).

Qiu was executed after a failed uprising, and she is considered a national heroine in China; a martyr of republicanism and feminism.

15th July 1909: Birth Anniversary of Durgabai Deshmukh

Durgabai Deshmukh was an Indian freedom fighter, lawyer, social worker and politician. She was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, the only women in the panel of Chairmen in the Constituent Assembly and of the Planning Commission of India.

A public activist for women's emancipation, she founded the Andhra Mahila Sabha (Andhra Women's Conference) in 1937. She was also the founder chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board. She established various organisations for the education of women.

She was awarded the Paul G Hoffman Award, the Nehru Literacy Award, the UNESCO Award (for outstanding work in the field of literacy) and the Padma Vibhushan.

15th July 2004: Indian Army Rape Us!

To protest the brutal rape and murder of Thangjam Manorama Devi by the Assam Rifles stationed in Manipur, 12 imas (mothers) disrobed outside the Kangla fort, which is historically significant as the seat of Manipur’s governance. The Assam Rifles are currently stationed there; many are of the opinion that the army now governs Manipur. They chanted, “[Indian Army] Rape us, kill us! Rape us, kill us!”

They didn’t stop chanting even as they were arrested by the police. The twelve Imas stayed in jail for three months before all charges were dropped against them. Due to their protest, the Manipur government instituted a Commission of Inquiry to look into Manorama’s death.

15th July 2016: Death Anniversary of Qandeel Baloch

Qandeel Baloch, born Fouzia Azeem, was the first female Pakistani social media celebrity, who belonged to a working class rural family from the province of Punjab and had over 750,000 followers on Facebook.

On 15 July 2016, Qandeel Baloch was drugged and then asphyxiated by her brother Waseem while she was asleep at her parents’ home in Multan. He claimed her actions had brought dishonour to his family.

Her death sparked protests against honor killings in Pakistan.

16th July 1909: Birth Anniversary of Aruna Asaf Ali

Aruna Asaf Ali was an Indian freedon fighter, educator, political activist, and publisher. An active participant in the Indian independence movement, she is widely remembered for hoisting the Indian National flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan, Bombay during a Quit India Movement in 1942. Post-independence, she remained active in politics, becoming Delhi's first Mayor.

She was awarded the International Lenin Peace Prize, the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, India’s second highest civilian honor, Padma Vibhushan and the highest civilian honor, Bharat Ratna (posthumously).

She passed away on 29th July, 1996.

17th July: International World Justice Day

International Justice Day commemorates the historic adoption of the Rome Statute on 17 July 1998, and marks the importance of continuing the fight against impunity and bringing justice for the victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

The day is a reminder of the urgency for all states committed to justice around the world to ensure continued support for the international justice system. It demonstrates the crucial role of civil society members in ensuring that International Criminal Court (ICC) member states live up to their obligations.

17th July 1924: Birth Anniversary of Anna Rajam Malhotra

Anna Rajam Malhotra was independent India’s first female IAS officer. She joined the civil services in 1951 and opted for the Madras cadre. Though the interview board sought to convince her that the Foreign Service and the Central Services were “suitable for women”, she insisted on joining the civil service.

Ms. Malhotra was responsible for building India's first computerised port, Nhavasheva, in Mumbai. and was also the first Malayali woman to hold a secretarial post in the central government. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1989.

18th July 1861: Birth Anniversary of Kadambini Ganguly

She was the first woman to get admission to Calcutta Medical College and also was the first female practitioner of western medicine in India as well as South Asia. When she returned to India she worked as a gynecologist at the Lady Dufferin Hospital, and later started her own private practice.

She was one of six representatives in the first female delegation of the 1889 Indian National Congress, and in 1906 she helped organize the Women’s Conference in Calcutta. She was also extremely active in many other movements, like one that fought to improve work conditions for female Eastern Indian coal miners.

25th July 2007: Pratibha Patil took office as India’s first woman president

Pratibha Patil was sworn in as the President of India on 25th July, 2007, making her the first female President of India.

Having been in politics for 45 years, she had the opportunity to serve people in various capacities.

In 2019, she was awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle, Mexico’s highest civilian honor.

26th July 2001: Death Anniversary of Phoolan Devi

Phoolan Devi was an Indian Bandit and later a member of the Parliament. At a young age, Phoolan endured poverty, child marriage and had an abusive marriage before taking to a life of crime. She is known to have fought oppressive gender and caste practices and suffered greatly for it. A survivor of gangrape and violence, she was known to exact revenge from those who crossed her. After her capture and release, she contested elections and was twice elected to the Indian Parliament.

She was assasinated at the gates of her official bungalow. She has been the subject of various biographies and movies. The Bandit Queen by Shekhar Kapoor is based on her life but her consent for the project was not sought.

28th July 2016: Death anniversary of Mahasweta Devi

Mahasweta Devi was an Indian activist and aurthor. She is considered a Bengali literary icon. Her notable works include Hajar Churashir Maa, Rudali, and Aranyer Adhikar.

She has been honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award (in Bengali), Jnanpith Award, Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Padma Shri and the Padma Vibhushan in India.

She was a leftist who worked for the rights of tribal groups in eastern and central states of India. She faced set-backs in her early career due to her political ideology, but she persevered. She was called the voice of the subaltern rebellion.

30th July: World Day Against Trafficking

Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world.To raise awareness of human trafficking victims and the protection of their rights, the 30th of July is observed by the United Nations as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

30th July 1886: Birth Anniversary of Muthulakshmi Reddy

Muthulakshmi Reddy was an Indian medical practitioner, freedom fighter, social reformer, feminist and stateswoman. She was the first woman House Surgeon in the Government Maternity and Opthalmic Hospital, the first woman Legislator in British India, the first Chairperson of the State Social Welfare Advisory Board, the first woman Deputy President of the Legislative Council, and the first Alderwoman of the Madras Corporation Avvai Home. She had to face stiff opposition from the establishment when she tried to study further. As an elected representative, she strove to “correct the balance for women by removing social abuses and working for equality in moral standards″. She passed away on 22nd July, 1968.

References

https://thewire.in/lgbtqia/lgbtq-sc-section-377-homosexuality

https://www.dailyo.in/variety/dakshayani-velayudhan-dalit-woman-constituent-assembly-caste-oppression-harijan-gender-discrimination/story/1/33346.html

https://feminisminindia.com/2018/09/04/ammu-swaminathan-freedom-fighter/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo

https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/the-hindu-friday-review-telangana/article30586015.ece

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45444652

https://www.hrw.org/reports/2008/india0908/3.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rani_of_Jhansi_Regiment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharmila_Rege

https://www.wired.com/2014/08/maryam-mirzakhani-fields-medal/

https://www.guwahatiplus.com/article-detail/meet-swati-bidhan-baruah-1st-transgender-judge-of-assam

https://nation.com.pk/16-Jul-2019/qandeel-baloch-remembered-on-3rd-death-anniversary

References

https://feminisminindia.com/2017/03/09/thangjam-manorama-essay/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durgabai_Deshmukh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aruna_Asaf_Ali

http://coalitionfortheicc.org/international-justice-day-17-july

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/indias-first-woman-ias-officer-dead/article24971462.ece

https://www.lowellmilkencenter.org/programs/projects/view/kadambini-ganguly-a-woman-of-firsts/hero

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoolan_Devi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahasweta_Devi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muthulakshmi_Reddy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qiu_Jin

http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue22/ganapathy.htm