A feminist and educationist (1922-2015)
Dr. Jyotiben Trivedi was the Vice Chancellor of SNDT Women’s University (SNDTWU) from 1980 to 1986. She was kind, sensitive to the problems of all the employees of SNDTWU and took genuine interest in our lives, helped and guided us in times of difficulty, was generous in sponsoring education and health expenditure of the needy. Every time she met any one of us, the first thing she asked was, “Have you sent money order to your mother? Never neglect your mother. If you don’t have enough cash, I will give you the money”. For her, all the employees were her family members. She did not differentiate them on the basis of their rank or position. To her all of them were equally worthy.
To subsequent vice chancellors of the university also, she gave constructive suggestions and always stood by us. Dr. Jyotiben was very gracious and had generosity of heart. She was an intellectually alert citizen and always gave serious thought to larger issues of society-community health, social change, and social justice. She was duped by her beneficiaries so many times in her life, but she never stopped her philanthropic work.
Once she asked me, ‘What should be our goal?” I said, “Academic excellence”. She said, “The most important goal should be hand-holding and enabling young women to enter institutions of higher learning and building their lives”. When I was selected for a post doctoral fellowship at The London School of Economics and Political Science, I was hesitant to go as my eight- year-old daughter refused to go with me to London. It was Dr. Jyotiben and then Vice Chancellor, Prof. Suma Chitnis who boosted my morale to make best of this opportunity. Dr. Trivedi was always happy when we achieved recognition and laurels in our career. She was also interested in our work in the women’s movement and community health. She played a crucial role in the development of the Lady Thackersey College of Nursing with her visionary leadership, networking with medical and nursing community and patrons.
Prof. Vasudha Kamath, Vice Chancellor of SNDTWU presided over the function and concluded by saying, “Dr. Jyoti Trivedi has had a lasting impact on my personality. She was Hon. Vice Chancellor, when I joined as a young teacher in the Education Department. She had interviewed and selected me. The M.Ed. lectures used to be in the evening, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. One day, a student started bleeding and fainted in the class. I was frantic and running around looking for help when the security guards of our university told me to contact Dr. Trivedi. Even at that late hour she was in her office at work. When I told her about the medical emergency, she immediately contacted Bombay Hospital, which was close by and told me to take the student there. The student got medical care and I was in the hospital till her family members arrived. This sensitive handling by the head of the institution was a great learning for me in the initial period of my teaching career. Jyotiben always had great dreams for SNDTWU. During the Golden Jubilee Year of L.T. College of Nursing, she asked me, ‘Why can’t SNDTWU have a medical college? Start efforts in that direction.”
As a Vice-Chancellor, Jyotiben was always cordial and took interest in personal, professional and Institutional development and carried everybody along. She acknowledged talent and hard work. With her vision and sharp intellect, she keenly looked at the development of the SNDT Women’s University in diverse ways, introducing technology, new programmes in Home Science, Pharmacy and Polytechnic. She was also keen on creating career paths for people. Hundreds of teachers grew under her guidance as decision makers, education administrators and institution builders. Jyotiben was always keen that every opportunity should be given on merit and would not mind standing alone for upholding fairness.
Her honesty of purpose and determination with respect to empowerment of women through higher education made her a role model for thousands of university educated graduate and post graduate students, as well as education leaders of our country.