30-04-2025
Sanghamitra Gadekar, Gandhian and anti-nuclear activist from Gujarat, passes away
Sanghamitra Gadekar, a Gandhian and anti-nuclear activist from Gujarat, passed away following a brief illness at Sampoorna Kranti Vidyalaya in Vedchhi of Surat district late Monday night. Her last rites were performed Tuesday in Vedchhi. She was 76, and is survived by her husband Surendra and daughter Charusmita.
Sanghamitra was the daughter of noted Gandhian late Narayan Desai. Desai was the son of Mahadev Desai, the personal secretary of Mahatma Gandhi.
As per a note from Sanghamitra's family and friends, she had done her MBBS from Kolkata and served as a Medical Officer at different places in Uttar Pradesh. She later got a postgraduate degree in nutrition from the United States and served in various hospitals in India.
She settled at Vedchhi along with her husband Surendra, a nuclear scientist. It was from Vedchhi that she started her movement against nuclear energy. She also ran a magazine, Anumukti, to create awareness about the harmful effects of nuclear energy.
Fondly known as Umaben among her friends and family, Sanghamitra provided training and employment to traditional printing workers who were rendered jobless after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and the 2002 Gujarat riots. She also played an active role at the Sampoorna Kranti Vidyalaya at Vedchhi.
Ahmedabad -based academician Sanjay Bhave said that Sanghamitra worked in a very low-profile manner but did very significant work in creating awareness about the harmful effects of nuclear energy. 'Twenty years ago, Sanghamitraben and Surendrabhai used to show slideshows in schools and colleges with impressive lectures (on harmful effects of nuclear energy) followed by simple question-answer sessions,' Bhave said.
Noted environmental activist Rohit Prajapati said, 'She (Sanghamitra) was among the people who were critically looking at not just nuclear weapons, but nuclear energy as well. She was the person who used to study and then struggle on a subject.'
