Biography of ‘Usha Mehta’
Usha Mehta (March 25, 1920-August 11, 2000) was a Gandhian and freedom fighter of India. She is also remembered for organizing the Congress Radio, also called the Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio station, which functioned for few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942. In 1998, the Government of India conferred on her Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India.
Usha was born in Saras village near Surat in Gujarat. When she was just five years old, Usha first saw Gandhi while on a visit to his ashram at Ahmedabad. Shortly afterward, Gandhi arranged a camp near her village in which little Usha participated, attending sessions and doing a little spinning.
Usha’s father was a judge under the British Raj. He, therefore, did not encourage her to participate in the freedom struggle. However, this limitation was removed when her father retired in 1930.
Gandhi and the congress had announced that the Quit India Movement would commence on August 9, 1942, with a rally at Gowalia Tank grounds in Mumbai.
Nearly all leaders including Gandhiji were arrested before that date. However, a vast crowd of Indians gathered at Gowalia Tank Ground on the appointed day. It was left to a group of junior leaders and workers to address them and hoist the national flag. Usha was one of those who hoisted the tricolor on August 9, 1942 at Gawalia Tank Ground, which was later renamed as “August Kranti Maidan.”
After her incarceration, Usha’s falling health prevented her from participating in politics or social work. The day India gained independence, Usha Mehta was confined to bed and could not attend the official function in New Delhi. She later re-commenced her education and wrote a doctoral dissertation on the political and social thought of Gandhi, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Bombay. She had a long association with Mumbai university in many capacities: as a student, as a research assistant, as a lecturer, a professor, and finally as the head of the Department of civics and politics. She retired from the University of Bombay in 1980.
The Union of India conferred on her Padma Vibhushan in 1998, the second highest civilian award of India.
