Women’s Histories of Struggle in the Face of a Politics that Divided Nations: Excerpts from a Conversation with Pramila Pandhe

Pramila Pandhe had weathered many storms and shouldered multiple responsibilities before I came to know her – a short, gentle woman, quite unlike my image of a leader – when she took charge as the Office Secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), and later Vice President of AIDWA. The story of her life was intertwined with the times she lived through: colonial rule, the influence of the social reform movement and her experience in institutions such as the Seva Sadan. The working class movement led by the Communists was a visible presence in the western region of India during the anti-imperialist struggle. Born at Bhusawal in East Khandesh, Maharashtra, Pramila Pandhe (1927–2021) was drawn into the freedom struggle and was arrested at the age of fifteen during the Quit India movement. She joined the Communist Party of India in the late 1940s, standing firmly with the CPI(M) after the split. In independent India, she became associated with the growing trade union movement and the wider women’s movement and struggles for rights and equality in independent India. In conversations over the years, she often nostalgically recalled the struggles and debates from an earlier era. Pramila remained politically active till the end, quietly pursuing her commitment to the people’s struggle for democratic rights and equality.