Meet Jeevan Jyot Kaur: The 'Padwoman' of Punjab who trumped Sidhu and Majithia
4 min read 17 Mar 2022, 02:22 PM ISTJeevan Jyot Kaur, a relative newbie in politics managed to bag 39,679 votes to become a first-time MLA from Amritsar EastJeevan Jyot has been a well-known patron of several social welfare programmes long before entering politics
PremiumIt was supposed to be the clash of titans. Shiromani Akali Dal supremo’s brother-in-law and ex-minister Bikram Singh Majithia versus sitting MP and Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu. BJP added ex-IAS officer Jagmohan Singh Raju to the mix, making up for one of the hottest battles in Punjab Assembly Elections 2022. However, the people of Amritsar East had some other plans.
Jeevan Jyot Kaur, a relative newbie in politics managed to bag 39,679 votes to become a first-time MLA from Amritsar East. The activist-turned-politician managed to defeat Navjot Singh Sidhu-who earned only 32,929 votes and Bikramjit Singh Majithia - who came third with 25,188 votes. Both the candidates had never been defeated before.
Long before the country heard of Jeevan Jyot Kaur, Punjab knew her as the state's own 'Padwoman', who actively promoted reusable sanitary pads, but it is a new role that she had been hesitant to slip in. It was 2015, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was looking for a shrewd party worker for its Punjab wing and had considered Jeevan for the position. "Initially, I didn't want to join. I was working as a social activist and thought it was unnecessary to join a political party. However, I contemplated my decision later. Also, my mother, who is a die-hard fan of Arvind Kejriwal, convinced me to join AAP." says Kaur.
Jeevan's political journey started as AAP's spokesperson. She was then appointed as co-president of AAP's women wing in Punjab, and later she went on to become President of the AAP's Amritsar wing. In 2019, she upped the ladder to become the party's campaign coordinator in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the national spokesperson of AAP during the Delhi Assembly elections in 2020. Now she is among the 13 female MLAs in the Punjab Legislative Assembly.
Jeevan Jyot has been a well-known patron of several social welfare programmes long before entering politics. Hence, her promises of a drug-free society, free electricity, and clean water supply might have resonated well among the residents of Amritsar.
"Back in school, I used to be a good orator. I was an all-rounder who loved taking firm decisions for me and my classmates". After completing her LLB from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Jeevan Jyot decided to volunteer for her parents' NGO. The Shri Hemkunt Education Society or S.H.E. Society. The NGO works in the field of education, health, and women empowerment.
Currently the chairperson, Jeevan Jyot tries to educate girls and eliminate taboos around periods (menstrual cycle). "We surveyed hundreds of schools in the interiors of Punjab to study menstruation-related problems among teenage girls. We found that majority of them could not afford to purchase a single sanitary pad," says Jeevan Jyot. Later, she started a campaign to provide free-of-cost sanitary napkins to several schools, women in jails, and old-age homes, earning her the moniker of Punjab's 'Padwoman'.
She also collaborated with EcoFemme, a Pondicherry-based organisation and a Swiss firm to manufacture reusable, organic, and anti-bacterial pads for women.
"We produced a two-hour-long menstrual programme and launched a project called EcoShe-Revolution. We covered around 500 schools, and distributed the sanitary napkin-kit free of cost." The EcoShe project has since travelled outside Punjab as well. Currently, the project is working with women in Haryana and Bihar. "We also did a presentation in House of Common in London," says Jeevan Jyot Kaur.
At present, her NGO is running four projects including EcoShe Revolution. The other three projects are-- Mission 'Aabaad', 'Badlaav', 'Ek Nai Soch', and 'SHP School'.
Throughout her career as an activist Jeevan has worked for women empowerment and after her debut as an MLA, she vows to continue to do the same. 'I would work to make our women financially independent by boosting skill development programmes and Self-help groups in Punjab.' She also wants to encourage more and more female participation in politics and claims that her party will work on it, grooming more women for the upcoming elections. Although the 117-member Punjab assembly has only 13 female representatives, the number has doubled from the previous house that had only six women.
She also asks the youth to join politics. "It's time, the youngsters start joining politics. Instead of running away from Punjab, they should work here for their betterment. You see, good legislation can help provide a solution to the mass exodus of our youth to Canada, Australia, and other countries. It's not a difficult task." says the first-time MLA from Amritsar East.
From a never-ending drug problem to unemployment and mass exodus of youth to other countries, Jeevan Jyot Kaur has a long and uphill task ahead of her. However, as Jeevan says, “There are no smooth roads in life; all you need is the determination to chart your own way forward," with this understanding, the newly-elected MLA has begun her journey in institutional politics.
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