We Need More Women Leaders Like Girija Vyas in the Social and Political Corridors of India

There is sadness at the passing on of good people who worked for the larger good of our country. Girija Vyas, who passed away on Thursday (May 1), was one such woman leader. There are many known facts about her. She was a Gandhian, a writer and poet. She became an MLA of the Rajasthan legislative assembly at the age of 25, was a  member of parliament and went on to serve as the Union minister of housing and urban poverty alleviation.

 She was a great orator and associated herself with the women’s movement of India. She listened and tried to ease the anguish and ensure voices of women and the poor were heard within the corridors of power to bring change in their realities.

I had the opportunity to meet her when she was the chairperson of the national commission of women (NCW). Her staunch views on women’s empowerment resonated with the times of the 1990’s when the Indian women’s movement had its boots on the ground all across the country on the spectrum of issues for which women demanded change, equality and equity. Laws around social justice, gender and freedom from violence to protect women were the clarion calls, which leaders like Girija Vyas were expected to address and ensure, and she rose to the occasion. This was prior and post the 1995 world conference on women, which brought women and youth from across different fields to chart a new future for women and girls on different parameters of gender equality.

Girija Vyas’s compassion and sense of justice touched me personally when she visited the camps of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, especially the relief colonies of Vatva and expressed her heartfelt sorrow and commitment to bring the perpetrators of violence against minority women, who endured  the 2002 riots. The National Commission of Women under the leadership of Reva Nayyar also led a fact finding committee and visited Shah e Alam Camp bringing out a report of the events and conditions of the displaced and affected victims and survivors seeking justice, rehabilitation and compensation.

Losing women social and political leaders is a setback to the continuing need for women’s empowerment, justice, safety and security. It is a setback in the need to be heard in the corridors of power still dominated by men – especially if the older generation is not replaced by an adequate number of women social and political leaders who have the knowledge of the history of women’s movements that have brought us this far.

A wonderful woman like Girija Vyas should know peace in death and be sure that the values, principles and causes she stood for and strived for are still being taken forward by newer torchbearers who respect, love and give leaders like her the validation they deserve. 

We are thankful to you Girija ji, as we are to Mohini Giriji and other women leaders who have mentored us. 

Sheba George is a social activist and feminist.  She is the founder of Sahr Waru, a women’s action and resource unit in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

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