Perin Chandra for obitThe Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) sincerely condoles the sad demise of Perin Chandra (Oct. 2 1918 – Jan. 7, 2014), a founding member of CNDP. She passed away this week after an active and eventful life as a communist and peace activist, loved and admired by all.

Perin was born in Chaman, now in Pakistan, and was the eldest daughter of a doctor in the Indian Army, Phiroze Bharucha, and his wife Pilloo. During her college years in Lahore, inspired by the national movement, she started wearing handspun and handwoven khadi and joined the women’s wing of the Congress.

The greater part of her life was spent in the peace and solidarity movement, working tirelessly to champion the cause of internationalism and third world solidarity with anti-war and pro-peace movements everywhere. This included the movement against the US occupation of Vietnam, the struggle to free South Africa from apartheid, the Palestinian movement and struggles at home against communalism and caste discrimination, and for nuclear disarmament and people-to-people contacts between Indians and Pakistanis.

Perin worked very actively with CNDP, particularly in our schools outreach programme, to raise awareness about nuclear disarmament among young students.

CNDP conveys its sincere condolences to her family and friends.