The concept of feminism is a hot cake in the contemporary
world. It appears as if everyone has suddenly realized how imperative it is for
women to have equal status as men. The so-called superior men are full of
sympathy and remorse over what has happened in the past and are ready to
correct their mistakes. So they have taken to various means of communication to
create awareness among their fellow homosapiens. Women in large nos. have also
been included in this correct-the-wrongful campaign. Amidst all this dreary
process, they keep yelling that we are empowering women. But has something
changed. Ask anyone and I am indisputably sure that the answer will not be in
affirmative. The cataloging of women as ‘the weaker sex’ has been so deeply embedded
in our society (when I say society, it is not just Indian society, but the
world over) that instead of loosening it keeps on strengthening with each new
day. To address this one cause, feminism as an ideology came into being. Feminist
ideology basically has two aspects: 1) private
is political, 2) the intrinsic traits of women like full of empathy, cooperative,
caring etc. have not been eulogized. They make a clear distinction between the characteristics
of men and women. However, this is where I disagree with them because
generalizing the characteristics is not correct. There are many men who share
some of the characteristics which feminists have already reserved for women and
vice-versa. Even after many disagreements with them, I am undeniably sensitive
to their cause.
It is believed that the concept of feminism like various
other concepts has been imported from the west. Everyone only remember the contribution
of western feminists or thinkers. Here they often tend to forget the strong
headed and determined Indian woman who championed this cause at a time when the
females were treated as merely an object for sexual gratification and a machine
for producing sons. It needed a lot of courage will power to stand against an
extremely conservative society where supremacy of men was considered natural. Pandita
ramabai was an ordinary woman who adopted extraordinary ways to awaken the
society from its slumber. The renowned nationalist and respected freedom
fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak once said “ a man who finds his cow wandering about
and puts a rope around her neck and brings her home is not liable to a law
suit. The Hindu religion considers a woman to be on par with property and
cattle”. There is no doubt in the fact that everyone shared his views. Since the
inception of a girl’s life, she was taught that she was inferior vis-à-vis her
brothers. Her life was confined to the insides of the house, whereas her
brothers were encouraged to go out. When she attained puberty she was married,
mostly to men much older to her where she again had to remain meek and gentle
and serve her husband with all her strength. She was then widowed at an early
age. The life for widow was more painful and suffocating. And this is how her
life ended.
Such wide differences between the genders were prevalent and
one who did not abide by it (very rare) was ostracized from the society. Here it
is required to differentiate between gender and sex which is usually taken to
be synonymous. Sex is a biological identity whereas gender is a social
identity. Stereotypes and prejudices about gender are created in ignorant
societies. Simon de Beauvoir rightly said “one is not born, but becomes woman”.
In the 19th century colonized India, this was the condition of half
of the population. It may sound strange but the fact was none of the women
protested. In fact they considered it their “saubhagya”(good destiny) to cater
to everyone’s need and provide selfless service to different people at various
stages of her life. The brahmanical system had manipulated shastras and other
ancient texts in such a way that women and lower castes were to be controlled
by upper castes men throughout their life without uttering a word. However,
ramabai was a non-conformist. Her upbringing can be attributed for such an
outlook. Her father was keenly interested in teaching Sanskrit texts to women. For
this defying act he was boycotted from the society. A major part of Ramabai’s
life was spent wandering here and there. After the subsequent death of her parents
and siblings, she came to Calcutta. This city was going through its phase of
renaissance and had become a hub of intellectuals and reformers. After they got
to know that she is educated they welcomed her with open arms because they had
found a living embodiment of ‘their’ perception of Indian womanhood whom they
could present as an example in the society.
It was in Calcutta that she read the ancient texts and
became aware of various obligations put on women. This triggered her to take
one of the most audacious and challenging step of marrying a man from shudra
caste. This earned extreme criticism. After an early widowhood she came back to
Maharashtra, the home of her ancestors. Post-widowhood women were expected to
live a secluded life. But, non-conformist as she was, she became more involved
in public activities. She began setting up Arya Mahila Sabhas, a forum for
women to meet and discuss various issues. During this time she appeared before
the Hunter commission debating the issue of women’s education. Perhaps she was
the first woman to advocate education for women so fiercely. It is to her
credit that British formed a curriculum for both men and women in India. She believed
that chief needs of high caste Hindu women were self reliance, education and
native women teachers. In 1887 she wrote her most famous work, the high-caste Hindu
women where she discussed at length about the plight of Indian women. In her
later years she got converted to Christianity as her views could not find
solace in Hinduism. This again earned criticism with people questioning her
character and calling her anti-national. However very early she had a tiff with
church authorities when they tried to dictate certain conditions to her. A woman
with her “own strong mind” was rare those days.
Nine decades after her death we still seem to be struggling
with the same set of issues. D K Karve said at her centenary in 1958 that it is
our own fault that this great women like Dr. Ambedkar was lost to the Hindu
religion. Whenever we begin talking
about Indian women we start giving age old examples of Gargi and Maitreyi or we
start eulogizing Sita and Savitri who are considered the epitome of womanhood. Why
is Draupadi absent from this ideal women category? To quote Dr. Lohia, it is draupadi
who should be an ideal for Indian women, a woman who could raise her voice
against the injustice being done to her. Ramabai joined this female bandwagon
much late, but she is not much talked about. Even GOOGLE which has tons of
information on any topic in this universe does not include her in the list of Indian
feminists or a feminist thinker. Why? Probably because she does not fit into the
category of an ideal woman which the patriarchal system approves of and will
ever be able to.
India has moved a long distance from her time. There has
been a whole lot of new things like widow remarriage, prohibition of child marriage,
abolition of sati, right to inheritance of property and most importantly right
to education for all. Women now work, go out and are trying to be independent. But
the process of oppression has not stopped. Now-a-days women are exploited in
the name of empowerment. Evils like dowry which is a blot on our society
continues. Educated and civilized strata of the society engage into this
without any qualms. The Indian constitution guarantees the right to inheritance
of property by women but how many women actually exercise this right. The concept
of men as insider and woman as outsider who will go to some other place
post-marriage is still considered very much appropriate.
Feminism is not about women hating men. It is about the
anti-female psychological setup which needs to be attacked. 33 per cent
reservation for women in parliament won’t empower them, giving them equal
opportunity since birth will. This fight can only be won psychologically when
people break the shackles of their prejudiced mindset. Referring to western thinkers is not required
to shape our ideas. Pandita Ramabai has long ago preached about the pre-requisites
of a harmonious and equal society. Even if we are able to accomplish an ounce
of what she wanted, it will be a real tribute to what this phenomenal woman
stood for. This is what our country needs right NOW.
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