Indian feminist activist Jasodhara Bagchi passes away at 77

Prof.Bagchi stands second from left

Former Chairperson of the West Bengal Commission for Women, Jasodhara Bagchi passed away after a cardiac arrest yesterday. She was multifaceted personality: a renowned academician, feminist and a feminist writer, a champion of women issues.

Bagchi received her education from some of the best institutions in the country and abroad. She studied at President College, Somerville College, Oxford, and New Hall and Cambridge. She later started working Bagchi as a lecturer in English at the Lady Brabourne College, and later moved on to Jadavpur University.

At the University, she played a vital role in the creation of the School of Women's Studies in 1987, and she remained the founder-director till her retirement. Along with being a writer, she also edited a number of books on gender issues.

Her focus areas of research included women's studies, women's writings, 19th century English and Bengali literature, the reception of Positivism in Bengal, motherhood and the Partition of India. Professor Bagchi was extremely passionate about her work and even though she retired in 1997, she continued to teach at the School of Women’s Studies as an emeritus professor till her death.

Telegraph India >