MUMBAI: Noted academician and a voice of the Bahujan movement Dr Gail Omvedt passed away on Wednesday at the age of 81. Omvedt's last rites will be conducted on Thursday at Kasegaon in the Sangli district.
An American-born Indian scholar, Gail Omvedt authored books on Dalit politics, women’s struggles and the anti-caste movement. Omvedt participated in various people’s movements, including the one for the rights of people displaced due to the Koyna Dam.
Omvedt died after a prolonged illness. Her death was announced by her husband Bharat Patankar. The couple’s daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter are settled in the U.S.
Born on August 2 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Omdevt had received her PhD from UC Berkley in 1973. She had come as a student from the US and setted in India for further studies in the 1970s. She was granted Indian citizenship in 1983 and continued to stay in Kasegaon in Satara district to work with her husband.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in his tribute message said, “Dr. Gail Omvedt not only contributed as a researcher in social movements, saints’ literature, traditions but also actively participated in movements for rights of women, deprived sections. She will remain as a scholar who became an integral part of society,” said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar tweeted, “Saddened to hear about the demise of well-known sociologist & prolific writer, Dr Gail Omvedt. India has lost a strong voice in the anti-caste, farmers' & womens' rights movements. My heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones. May the departed soul rest in eternal peace.” Historian Ramchandra Guha, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury and other people also expressed their condolences at her demise.
Omvedt was a committed, courageous and prolific writer who brought to the fore the Phule-Ambedkar Bahujan legacy in the context of rising social movements in the post-Emergency period. Interestingly, Omvedt was the first researcher to study the political implication of the Satyashodhak Samaj, started by social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, spurred new research in this field.
She was also on the board of institutes like Savitribai Phule Pune University, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and Indira Gandhi Open University. In recent years, she was associated with the United Nations Development Programme as a consultant on various issues. Omvedt authored over 25 books, including In Colonial Society – Non-Brahmin Movement in Western India, Seeking Begampura, Buddhism in India, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule, Dalit and the Democratic Revolution, Understanding Caste, We Will Smash the Prison and New Social Movement in India.