(Late) Dr. Vasudha Vasanti Dhagamwar
Founder Director -MARG (1941-2014)
Dr. Vasudha Vasanti Dhagamwar was the Founder Director of Multiple Action Research Group (MARG). She had at least three distinct careers; as a student and teacher of English literature, a scholar, writer on India’s legal history; as an activist researcher on development issues. She studied English at Patna and taught the subject briefly at Miranda House.From a family (and tradition) that valued scholarship, she also took a degree in economics and politics from Oxford, an LLB from Mumbai University and a Ph.D in legal history from the school of Oriental and African Studies. Her dissertation, supervised by the legendary Duncan Derrett, became the basis of her first book, Law, Power and Justice. Dr. Vasudha became an Ashoka Fellow in 1982 for her sustained work for the rights of displaced people.
In 1985 she set up the Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) in Delhi, which looked at the issues of land acquisition and displacement arising out of the Sardar Sarovar Project in Gujarat. Among other things, she has been a member of the legal experts committee of the National Commission of Women, which drafted various bills relevant to women. She was also a member of the Executive body of the Commonwealth Human Rights initiative. She has many publications to her name like ‘Criminal Justice or Chaos’ with Har Anand Publications, ‘Law Power and Justice’ with SAGE Publications, ‘Towards the Uniform Civil Code’ with Indian Law Institute and Tripathis and ‘Women and Divorce’ with Somaiyas.
Under her guidance MARG did pioneering work on gender discrimination and on the displacement of peasants and tribal by dams, mines and factories. Through her activist use of law, she influenced almost two generation of feminists and activists in other fields. Her down to earth approach towards legal matters, practical suggestions, and solution seeking approach made Dr. Vasudha a sought-after legal luminary. She was an excellent communicator, spoke logically and convincingly. Her stand on Muslim Personal Law and Common Civil Code angered many fellow feminists. But no one doubted her integrity as a defender of Women’s right to dignified life. She has left her permanent mark as sincere, committed, honest and pro people lawyer of our country.
