A tribute to Professor Vidyut Bhagwat
A feminist thinker passed away on 11th July 2024
Vidyut Bhagwat was a scholar of women’s issues. She conducted an in-depth study of Maharashtra’s social dynamics. Literature, society, and culture were her favourite subjects. She engaged in studying and teaching in the fields of literature, linguistics, sociology, and women’s studies. She earned an M.A. in Literature, a postgraduate degree in Linguistics, and a Ph.D. in Sociology with an interdisciplinary focus on Women’s Studies. She retired as the director of the Women’s Studies Department, known during her time as the Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule Women’s Studies Centre.
Since 1970, she wrote research papers on women’s issues, feminist theory, and the social history of Maharashtra, as well as short essays, stories, poems, and newspaper columns. Her work examined the relationship between literature and society. She received the ‘Samajvijnankosh Nyasa’ award in 2004 for her book “The Path of Women’s Issues Towards Change” (Pratima Prakashan). Her notable works include “Feminist Social Thought” (Rawat, 2004), “Feminist Social Thought” (Diamond Publications, 2008), “Women’s Studies Interdisciplinary Themes and Perspectives” (Diamond Publications, 2012), and “Women’s Essay Writing in Marathi,” edited by Vidyut Bhagwat (first edition, Sahitya Akademi, 2013). She presented significant papers at national and international seminars and taught women’s studies at Western universities.
The six thinkers in her book, who laid the foundation of Western feminism, engaged with and acted upon social and political issues of their time, contributing essential insights. Their thoughts are crucial for understanding today’s feminist theories and political changes.
While writing her own poems, stories, and novels, she translated nearly ten English books related to women’s studies into Marathi. Alongside the women’s movement, she actively participated in the farmers’ movement with Sharad Joshi. She was among the first generation of feminist scholars and activists in Maharashtra. Her passing is a significant loss to the scholarly community in the region. She continued the intellectual tradition of Rajaram Shastri and B. R. Bhagwat. Her books on contemporary Indian society, women’s issues, and feminist social thought are well-known.
