Usha Mehta Biography 
Usha Mehta was an Indian freedom fighter, and a Gandhian. She is best remembered for starting and operating Congress Radio, an underground radio station that functioned during Quit India Movement. In 1998, she was honoured with Padma Vibhushan by Government of India. After independence due to ill health, she couldn’t participate in political activities. But Usha continued to be socially active preaching Gandhian principles and by writing many books. She was a member of the Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi and was associated with the affairs of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Usha Mehta was born on March 25, 1920 in a small village near Surat, Gujarat. She was attracted to Gandhian principles at a younger age and used to participate in his camps. In 1928 at the age of 8, she was one among the group who protested Simon Commission. Her father was a judge under the British Raj. For the same reason he couldn’t encourage his younger daughter or class mates’ any kind of protest against British rule. In 1930, he retired from service bringing an end to those hindrances. Two years later her family moved to Mumbai and she was associated with many children’s movements against British rule. She also created awareness among her schoolmates and distributed bulletins and publications.
At a younger age, she started wearing only khadi clothes and lived a simple Gandhian life. On August 14, 1942, Usha and some of her close associates began the Secret Congress Radio. Many great Indian leaders assisted the Secret Congress Radio. But on November 12, 1942 British she along with her associates got arrested. Usha was imprisoned at Yeravda Jail in Pune where her health got deteriorated. She was later released in 1946 at the orders of Morarji Desai. After independence she continued with preaching Gandhi principles and wrote a few books in Gujarati and English. She passed away in 2000.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 16, 2014
