Post-independence
The day India gained independence, Usha Mehta was confined to bed and could not attend the official function in New Delhi. However, she remained in touch with developments through the radio. She disagreed with the partition, but her failing health prevented her from participating in politics. However, she re-commenced her education and wrote a doctoral dissertation on the political and social thought of Gandhi, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Bombay. She had a long association with the university in many capacities as a student, as a research assistant, a lecturer, a professor, and finally as the head of the department of civics and politics of the University of Bombay until her retirement in 1980.
Even after India’s independence, she continued to be socially active, particularly in spreading the Gandhian thought and philosophy. She was elected as the president of Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, a trust dedicated to the perseverance of the Gandhian heritage. The Nidhi acquired Mani Bhavan in Mumbai, where Gandhi used to reside during his visits to the city, and converted it into a Gandhi memorial. She was a member of the Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi. She also actively participated in the affairs of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The Government of India associated her with a number of celebrations of India’s 50th anniversary of freedom.
Over the years she had authored many articles, essays, and books in English and Gujarati, her mother tongue.
After India’s independence, she was unhappy with the developments taking place in the social, political, and economic spheres of independent India. Once, in an interview with India Today, she expressed her feelings in these words: “Certainly this is not the freedom we fought for.” She added that the freedom fighters of her generation felt that “once people were ensconced in positions of power, the rot would set in." However, in her words, “we didn’t know the rot would sink in so soon.” However, she did not deny the achievements of free India since the independence: “India has survived as a democracy and even built a good industrial base,” she said. “Still, it is not the India of our dreams”.
The Republic of India conferred on her Padma Vibhushan in 1998, the second highest civilian award of India.
Read more about this topic: Usha Mehta