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WGDC-TISS

Feminist Calendar: April

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Curating Important Feminist Dates for the Indian Sub-Continent

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April

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April 1984: Urvashi Butalia and Ritu Menon founded Kali for Women

Addressing the reluctance of publishing houses to publish feminist literature and recognising the opportunity to establish a space that amplifies the voices of women, Urvashi Butalia and Ritu Menon founded ‘Kali for Women’.

Considered a risk by those in the industry, Kali for Women thrived and became the definitive stop for the self-aware woman’s writing.

Though the founders have since founded separate business entities, they have created a corpus of feminist titles spanning creative writing, activist tracts and scholarly texts that continue to show how women and their lives are perceived in South Asia.

1st April 2007: Mukhtar Mai wins the North-South Prize

Mukhtar Mai who survived a Khap directed gang-rape, brought the case before Pakistan’s official courts, against convention and succeeded in winning. With the compensation awarded to her, she set up a school in her village and founded an organisation for the defence of women’s rights.

Despite facing opposition from right-wing groups and the government, Mukhtar Mai continues in her efforts to improve the situation of women in Pakistan. For her efforts she was awarded the North-South Prize from the Council of Europe.

1st April 2018: Publication of Radha Kumar’s, ‘A Gendered Atlas of India-First Edition’

A Gendered Atlas of India, maps and grades India’s performance from 2001 to 2016 on issues of concern for women, like sex ratio, women’s education, employment, health, political participation and representation; and prevention of crimes against women.

The findings show that in regions where the central and state governments share concerns, India’s performance on gender has improved, but where they diverge women’s condition has deteriorated even further.

Radha Kumar is an Indian feminist, academic and author. Her work focuses on ethnic conflicts and peace processes from a strongly feminist perspective.

April

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4

4th April 1919: Birth Anniversary of K. Saraswathi Amma

Considered one of the pioneers of Malayalam feminist literature, Saraswathi earned the unenviable moniker of “vattu Saraswathi” (crazy Saraswathi) due to her ‘eccentric’ behavior and lack of inhibitions standing up to men.

Known for her outspoken critique of patriarchy, her works include, Vivahangal Swargathil Vechu Nadathapedunnu (Marriages Are Made In Heaven), Premabhajanam (Darling), Devaduthi (Messenger of God), Ponnumkudam (Pot of Gold), Purushanmarillatha Lokham (A World Without Men).

Her socio-political satires criticised the practice of dowry and female subservience to men. Kesari Balakrishna Pillai, an important literary critic of the time, included her as a promising voice in the political-realist literary programme for social change. Her short stories have been translated into english by J. Devika.

4th April 1928: Birth Anniversary of Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, screenplay writer and actress. Her work explored the themes of economic, racial and sexual exploitation.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), And Still I Rise (1978), The Heart of a Woman (1981), All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes (1986), I Shall Not Be Moved (1990), are some of her acclaimed publications.

In addition to the several accolades she received all her life, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

4th April 2019: Indian Women March for Change

Thousands of women across 20 states of India marched for the rights of women, dalits, transpersons, minorities and other marginalized sections in India.

The protests aimed to “reject the current environment of hate and violence and to claim constitutional rights as citizens of a democratic republic.”

The protestors urged people to vote in the elections to safeguard against the shrinking of democratic spaces and the crackdown on dissent.

April

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11th April 1827: Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule

Jyotirao Phule was an Indian social reformer, educator, thinker and writer from Maharashtra. He educated his wife Savitribai Phule and founded the first indegeniously run school for girls and children from the oppressed castes.

He was a vocal advocate for women’s education and the abolishment of untouchability and the caste system, founding the Satyashodhak Samaj to focus on the upliftment of the depressed groups.

He founded orphanages to reduce infanticides and championed widow remarriage. He is considered an important figure in the social reform movement in Maharashtra.

11th April 2018: Bangladesh Bans ‘Two Finger Test’

A High Court in Bangladesh ruled that the derogatory ‘two finger test’ to establish rape was not scientific nor legal and banned authorities from conducting it on rape survivors.

The Judges asked authorities to follow healthcare protocol in line with the WHO guidelines and prohibited lawyers from shaming the survivors during trial proceedings. They directed the government to issue circulars so that the lower court judges and the investigation officers follow the order.

Also instructed the Health Ministry to form a committee of experts to develop a detailed guideline to provide support to survivors on examination and treatment.

April

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13th April 2015: The Feminist Five in China were released on bail

Two days before International Women’s Day 2015, Li Maizi, Wei Tingting, Zheng Churan, Wu Rongrong, and Wang Man were arrested from different locations in China, for distributing stickers against sexual harassment on public transport.

After 37 days of public outcry and international scrutiny, they were released on bail on the 13th of April 2015. This was the first time that a group of detained social activists were released all at once in China, perhaps due to the pressure from feminist groups from within and outside China.

April

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15th April 2014: The pronouncement of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) judgement

On 15th April 2014, the Supreme Court of India affirmed that transgender individuals have the right to decide their self-identified gender, and directed the Centre and state governments to grant legal recognition of this gender identity such as male, female or as third gender, and take specific steps to address the discrimination faced by transgender persons in India.

April

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20th-24th April 1981: First National Conference of Women’s Studies at SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai

The issues discussed at the First National Conference of Women’s Studies included the developmental process which bypassed women, the gender bias in textbooks, sexism in the media, gender blindness in science and technology, health needs of women and violence against women. The general consensus among the participants (both women and men) was that women’s studies was pro-women and not neutral.

20th April 2015:Phyllis Omido awarded the 2015 Goldman Environment Prize

Phyllis Omido fought corporate powers and the complicit government to ensure justice for a community that was ravaged by soil and water pollution, due to non-compliance of environment and health safety regulations by a lead recycling plant.

She did this despite facing threats to her health and life by vested interests and the government machinery.

Ms. Omido was arrested and charged with grave charges. She was even attacked by armed men near her home, which left her fearing for her son’s life. But she didn’t quit.

Every attack spurred her on and she founded the Center for Justice, Governance, and Environmental Action (CJGEA). In recognition of this indomitable spirit, she was awarded the 2015 Goldman Prize for Africa.

April

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23rd April 1858: Birth Anniversary of Pandita Ramabai

Pandita Ramabai was the first woman to be accorded the title of Pandita as a Sanskrit scholar who was also proficient in 6 other languages including Hebrew and Greek. She was a social reformer, social worker and writer.

She worked all her life for the education and emancipation of women. Her efforts lead to the start of the Women’s Medical Movement in British India.

In the later part of her life she founded a shelter for outcast children, child widows, orphans and other destitute women. She founded schools for girls in backward regions in various parts of India.

Pandita Ramabai’s critique of traditional Indian power structures and caste, is widely lauded.

She passed away on the 5th of April, 1922.

23rd April 1927: Birth Anniversary of Annapurna Devi

Annapurna Devi, born Roshanara Khan, is considered to be one of the greatest exponents of both the surbahar and the sitar.

Although her music is lost to the world due to a vow she took to never perform in public, her virtuosity is attested by the accomplishments of her students, among whom are some of the greatest musicians of India.

She has been conferred with the Padma Bhushan and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award among other honours.

23rd April 1993: 33% Reservation for Women in Panchayati Raj Institutions

The 73rd amendment to the Indian Constitution formalized the powers of the Panchayati Raj Institutions in India and introduced 33% reservations for women and other neglected/weaker sections of society.

Creating access for multitudes of rural women to enter public spaces and engage with the village development process.

April

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24th April 1939: Birth Anniversary of Meera Kosambi

Meera Kosambi was a prominent Indian sociologist. She is the author of several books and articles on urban sociology and women's studies in India. She served for nearly a decade as the director of the Research Centre for Women's Studies at the SNDT University for Women, Mumbai.

Her much acclaimed work is on the 19th century Indian feminist Pandita Ramabai, whose writings she compiled, edited and translated from Marathi. She has also translated and edited the autobiography and scholarly writings of her grandfather Dharmananda Damodar Kosambi.

24th April 1946: Birthday of Kamla Bhasin

Kamla Bhasin is an Indian developmental feminist activist, poet, author and social scientist.

Since 1970, her work has focussed on gender, education, human development and the media.

She founded Sangat, a feminist network, through which she combines feminist theory and community action, using innovative non literary methods to ensure her message reaches communities with low literacy levels.

Her poem, ‘Kyunki main ladki hoon, mujhe padhna hai’ is extremely popular in India.

24th April 2015: Assasination of Sabeen Mahmud

Pakistani human rights activist and social worker Sabeen Mahmud was assasinated in Karachi.

Sabeen worked towards improving freedom of expression in Pakistan and founded the Karachi based cafe, The Second Floor with the aim of providing a community space for open dialogue and regularly hosted debates on important issues that plagued Pakistan.

She was attacked while returning home after hosting a debate on the Balochistan conflict.

April

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25th April 1985: Judgement of the Shah Bano case delivered

Final and unanimous decision by the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India in the Shah Bano case, which ruled that a divorced wife is to be given maintenance, regardless of caste, creed, or religion by invoking Section 125 of Code of Criminal Procedure.

The judgement, however, was widely criticized by feminists, liberals and secularists for bringing issues of religion and personal law into what was essentially a question of secular, criminal law.

April

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28th April 2016: Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ruled against discrimination of children affected by HIV

In response to petition by an HIV infected mother, whose child was denied access to education, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ruled that children living or affected by HIV (having an infected guardian) have the full right to education and cannot be discriminated against.

The ruling was based on the country’s constitutional directive of universal access to education for children between the ages of five and fourteen years.

April

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30th April 1927: Birth Anniversary of M. Fathima Beevi

Fatima Beevi was the first woman to be appointed a Justice in the Supreme Court of India and the first muslim woman to be appointed to any of the higher judiciaries in the country.

Fatima Beevi was one of the only five female students in her class in law school, a number that later dropped to three.

However, this did not demotivate her, after obtaining her law degree in 1950, she gave the Bar Council of India exam and became the first woman to top the exam, and received the Bar Council gold medal, the first of her historic achievements.

30th April 1937: Suffrage extended to Women in the Philippines

After a protracted struggle by Filipino women for women’s suffrage, a plebiscite was held on 30th April 1937 where women voted overwhelmingly (91%) in favour of rights to vote.

In 1910, multiple women’s rights groups started working toward equal political participation rights for women in the Phillipines. They faced strong opposition from the all male political groups and also some women. Those against cited a threat to family unity and reduced powers to the male of the house if women were given voting rights.

Women’s suffrage in the Philippines paved the way for other legal rights for women in the country.

References

https://www.coe.int/en/web/north-south-centre/previous-laureates-of-the-north-south-prize

https://prathambooks.org/blog/story-of-kali-for-women-indias-firs/

https://qrius.com/hundreds-of-women-march-across-india-for-their-rights-all-about-the-growing-movement-you-havent-heard-of/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maya-Angelou

https://feminisminindia.com/2020/02/28/k-saraswathi-amma-pioneer-feminist-literature-malayalam/

https://indianexpress.com/article/world/bangladeshs-hc-bans-two-finger-test-on-rape-victims-5135086/

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

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.15767/feministstudies.41.2.476

https://www.mansworldindia.com/people/annapurna-devi-the-tragedy-and-triumph-of-ravi-shankars-first-wife/

https://feminisminindia.com/2017/04/21/revisiting-shah-bano-judgement/

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

https://feminisminindia.com/2019/09/13/justice-fathima-beevi-first-indian-woman-supreme-court-justice/

https://medium.com/fma-ph/this-day-in-herstory-women-suffrage-in-the-philippines-55e84998736

http://orinam.net/resources-for/law-and-enforcement/nalsa-petition-tg-rights-india/

https://www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/phyllis-omido/

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

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