Women's rights activist Kamla Bhasin passes away at 75

Eminent women's rights activist, author and poet Kamla Bhasin passed away on Saturday.
Bhasin (75) was suffering from cancer and pulmonary edema and was admitted to a hospital on Friday.

Actor Shabana Azmi took to Twitter to condole Bhasin's demise. "Fiesty Kamla Bhasin has fought her last battle, singing and celebrating a life well-lived. Her absence will be felt acutely, her gutsy presence, laughter and song, her wonderful strength are her legacy. We treasure her now as we did before," Azmi tweeted.

A stalwart in the field of women's rights activism, Bhasin and had started her work in 1970, focusing on gender, education, human development and the media. Known for being a part of the 'One Billion Rising' campaign among other important movements, Bhasin was a prominent voice in the field women's rights movement in India and in other South Asian countries.

After resigning from her job at the United Nations in 2002, she founded Sangat, an NGO. Sangat works with underprivileged women from rural and tribal communities.

Bhasin has written several books on feminism, understanding patriarchy and gender, which was translated into more than 30 languages.

The news of her demise was shared on Twitter by human rights activist Kavita Srivastava.

"Kamla Bhasin, our dear friend, passed away around 3 am today, September 25. This is a big setback for the women's movement in India and the South Asian region. She celebrated life whatever the adversity. Kamla you will always live in our hearts. In Sisterhood, which is in deep grief,"

As her news broke on social media, several people paid tributes to the activist.

Historian S Irfan Habib tweeted, "Very sad to hear about the tragic demise of a dear friend and an exceptional human being Kamla Bhasin. We were just discussing her health yesterday but never realised that she will leave us the next day, U will be terribly missed."

(ANI)