AIDWA expresses condolences on the demise of legendary actor and dancer Zohra Sehgal, who died in Delhi yesterday at an age of 102 years.
We salute the undying spirit of ZohraAapa as she continues to inspire women and girls to follow their dreams while breaking oppressive unequal social barriers. In pre-independence India, Zohra herself lived life on her own terms as an educated woman, who decided to have a choice marriage outside her religion and also took up a career in the fields of dance and acting, which was considered forbidden for women from “respectable” families.
As part of her acting career, Zohra worked with the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and gave exceptional performances in films like DhartiKeLaal and Neecha Nagar. Among the many honoursshe was awarded with three of India's four civilian awards- the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. However, the fact that in her dying days she could not get the government flat that she wanted is unfortunate.
AIDWA conveys its condolences to the family and friends of Zohra Aapa, while mourning this great loss to the progressive cultural movement.
