Vidya Bal (1936–2020)

Vidya Bal, a veteran feminist journalist and social activist passed away on 30 January 2020.

Vidyatai was a highly respected feminist for her warm, affectionate and welcoming nature. She had a fan-following among four generations, as she was ready to listen to them with genuine interest and enter into a dialogue. She was a noted feminist, an intellectually versatile journalist and a committed activist of the women’s liberation movement in Maharashtra. She was the pioneer of the women’s rights movement in Pune during the early 1970s. At that time, she was the extremely popular editor of a widely circulated weekly in Marathi,Stree. When her increasing involvement in the women’s movement made it difficult to survive inStree, she quit. The Maharashtra Women Writers Forum made a public appeal to make contributions to start an independent feminist journal in Marathi that would provide a democratic platform to all progressive ideas for women’s rights. Thus, theMilun Saryajani (All of Us Coming Together) was born.