Permanent Mission of India
New York
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Dr. Hansa Mehta Memorial Lecture

Breaking Barriers for Social Transformation: Dr. Hansa Mehta’s inspiring life

Statement by Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, Permanent Representative

6 March 2026 

Madam President of the General Assembly, Excellencies, delegates and friends,

I welcome you all to the fourth edition of the Dr. Hansa Mehta Memorial Lecture.

It is a truism that there is no transformation without struggle. The twentieth century was a period of intense transformation along political, social, scientific and technological and economic domains. The independence of peoples and nations across Asia, Africa and Latin America from colonial rule was hugely significant. It was accompanied by new breakthroughs in science and technology that transformed our societies and countries. In India, as a new nation emerged from the shackles of colonialism, and “we the people” organised ourselves into a modern republic, we debated a new constitution that enshrined equality, liberty and justice while promoting fraternity among citizens of the new republic.

Let us remember that the US took 144 years to give equal voting rights to women. In UK, it took nearly a century for women to get the right to vote. Women won the vote in some cantons of Switzerland as recently as 1974. But Indian women got the right to vote the year their country was born. India opting for universal adult franchise in 1947 was a staggering achievement for a post-colonial nation in the midst of a bloody partition that killed up to a million people and displaced 18 million others.

In independent India, the number of voters went up five-fold to 173 million people - nearly half of the total population - and included 80 million women. Some 85% of them had never voted before. Suddenly, India became the first democracy that gave full and equal rights to women.  We are reminded of the struggles women went through to gain their rights and independence. British Colonial administrators opposed equal voting rights to women citing "women's inferiority and incompetence in public affairs".

This year, therefore, we decided to focus on the theme “Breaking Barriers for Social Transformation: Dr. Hansa Mehta’s Inspiring Life”.

Dr. Mehta was a champion of women’s rights in India. She studied philosophy in Baroda College and later at the London School of Economics at a time when less than 2% of Indian women received any education. She went on to become the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Baroda in 1949 – a first for a woman at the time.

Throughout her life, she remained a staunch advocate for women’s rights and equality. She played a pivotal role in initiating legislative reforms for protection of women, particularly for raising the age of marriage for girls; and contributed to grassroot movements calling for equal rights for men and women to obtain education; equal pay; as well as equal distribution of property among women, at a time when such demands were unthinkable in most parts of the world.

When the Indian Constitution was being drafted in the latter part of the 1940s, she was one of the 15 women members of the Constituent Assembly. She was a member of the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights and Minorities and the Sub-committee on Fundamental Rights. In the Assembly’s debates, Dr. Mehta, demanded social, economic and political justice for women and argued that “This ancient land cannot attain its rightful place, its honoured place in this world without the co-operation of women.”

Her contributions to movements calling for gender equality shine the light on the modern India of today, a society rooted in equity, peace and gender justice. Following Dr Mehta’s example, “Mahila Sashaktikaran” or women’s empowerment is today a national mission. Our social and economic policies continue to empower women. Women-led development is our mantra and the India growth story is powered by them.

Friends,

Dr. Mehta’s contributions to the cause of women empowerment have been equally felt at the international level. Her insistence on the universality of the application of human rights to all persons – men and women – has significantly and fundamentally altered the way human rights are viewed and applied and expanded the reach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Dr Mehta represented India at the discussions on UDHR while she was also involved in the debates on developing India’s Constitution. The cross pollination of ideas as much strengthened her arguments in the UDHR negotiations as in India’s Constituent Assembly.

In this context, I am immensely pleased to have with us a champion of women’s rights and empowerment H.E. Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly to deliver the keynote speech. As a former foreign minister of Germany and member of the European Parliament and leader of her party, Ms Baerbock pushed ahead with a feminist foreign policy and empowered women. I am sure that she understands the vision of Dr. Mehta almost a century ago. We look forward to hear her experience as a female leader in the world of politics and diplomacy.

We are equally honoured to have with us H.E. Ambs. Pengiran Hairani Pengiran Haji Tajuddin, Permanent Representative of Brunei, H.E Amb Aida Kasymalieva Permanent Representative of Kyrgyzstan, H.E Amb. Aglaia Balta Permanent Representative of Greece, H.E Amb Maritza Chan Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to share their experience in facing challenges and sources of inspiration in overcoming them along their journey.

Excellencies,

Dr. Hansa Mehta’s role as a social reformer and a negotiator offers a powerful model for contemporary international diplomacy. Each barrier that Dr. Mehta broke created positive impact which continue to reverberate and inspire generations after her.

I look forward to today’s enriching discussion!

Thank you