Aurobindo Mazumdar
(The writer can be reached at amzghy@gmail.com)
The fundamental dualistic out look with the differentiation of the male and the women principles is the characteristic of the ancient world. Through the whole heroic period of Indian history, and up to the commencement of the Christian era, Indian women had many rights and immunities besides respect for women, which were characteristic of the early Vedic age. But these have gradually disappeared in the pages of Indian history. Even in free India, the women have faced systemic discrimination and have been regularly confronted with sexual harassment and violence, even as the police often fail to provide protection and the government has failed to enforce laws and policies intended to safeguard women’s rights.
So much has been written and spoken, during British rule and after Independence, on the sad condition and rights of the women of India. The passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill, Nari Shakti Vahan Adhiniyam 2023 seeking to reserve 33 per cent of all seats for women in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, is the culmination of the process initiated in the long past by many Indian social reformers, philanthropists, poets and writers of different states of India before and after independence.
The evils from which Indian women suffered in the past and even now are various in character. They are - child-marriage, enforced widowhood, widow remarriage, total abstinence, caste restrictions, inter-dining and inter-marriage, women’s education and seclusion of women or purdah, triple talak and dowry system. Marriage is an integral part of society, a source of joy and festivities as well as of new beginnings. Yet, one of the longest standing evils associated with marriage from a woman’s point of view in Indian society is the dowry system. Despite a lot being said and done against the custom, it is still prevalent in the 21st century, in both subtle and obvious ways.
Rao Bahadur C. H. Deshmukh, a judge of the Bombay Small-Cause Court, was perhaps, the first man to marry a widow in the Purbhu caste. A short time after his marriage, the corpses of both husband and wife were found floating in a well. None could tell whether they had committed suicide, or whether it was the work of villainy. So deep was the feeling of bitterness, and the sense of shame and disgrace, against widow remarriage, and against the parties who broke the old custom, that the latter was not improbable.
Against such an orthodox feeling, Pundit Ishwar Chunder Vidyasagar published his famous tracts on widow marriage, in which he attempted to establish the legality, according to the shastras (Holy Scriptures) of the marriage of widows. He told the Hindu community that their belief that the marriage of widows is prohibited in the shastras, is a mistake and is utterly unfounded. Instead of there being a prohibition, there is a clear warrant in the shastras for such a practice ; and that the present practice or custom by which the widows are condemned to perpetual widowhood, is opposed to the direct injunctions of the shastras, and therefore sinful. Lord Canning legalized the remarriage of Hindu widows. It is called the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy declared that it was not sanctioned by the Veda as the priests claimed. He wrote many books on women’s rights showing the wickedness. He succeeded in getting the government to abolish the Suttee rite within British domains and holding as criminals subject to capital punishment.
The Christian Missionaries from the days of the Serampore missionaries William Carey, Joshua Marshman and William Ward, have tried to make the condition of Indian women their theme, and depicted the picture of their degradation, their helplessness, their ignorance, the cruel treatment and dreadful sufferings to which millions of them are exposed, and the dull, empty, colourless lives which they have to lead. Quite a large number of American missionaries have worked in many parts of the country for over a century, several distinguished American scholars and publicists have written on India with much fuller knowledge and, consequently, deeper insight and understanding about things Indian. Max Muller, the scholar extraordinary, who is better known as Indian Muller, devoted an unforgettable chapter for the cause of Indian women.
Thanks to the energy, the courage, and the perseverance of many of these noble-minded men and women, the sympathy and interest have found expression in many well-directed efforts to extend to the women of India the blessings of civilization and of education, and to secure for them at least a share of that liberty and honourable respect, which we are accustomed to consider as among the most valuable and incontestable rights of women. The Women’s Reservation Bill, Nari Shakti Vahan Adhiniyam 2023 seeking to reserve seats for women in the Parliament and the State Assemblies is an elitist Act, it is more political than social. No doubt, it will serve the purposes of political parties. But the fate of the masses of Indian women will remain unchanged. Who are those elected women who are working for the masses of women?
Even today to be a widow, and more especially a childless or rather sonless widow, is to be the object not of sympathy and pity but of universal hatred and aversion. Widowhood is throughout India regarded as the punishment for a horrible crime or crimes committed by the woman in some former existence upon earth. It is the child widow upon whom especially falls the abuse and hatred of the community, as the greatest criminal upon whom heaven’s judgment has been pronounced. A widow is called an inauspicious; if she appears on any occasion of rejoicing, she will bring ill-luck. If a man starting on a journey sees a widow on the road, he will postpone his departure rather than run the risk of neglecting such an evil omen.
The relatives and neighbours of a young widow’s husband are always ready to call her bad names and to address her in abusive language at every opportunity. There is scarcely a day on which she is not cursed as the cause of their beloved friend’s death. Of all, they should have some occupation to spend their weary hours of seclusion or even that they may be able to earn their own living and thus be made independent of their relations, from whose unkindness they suffer so much. A drunkard husband beating his wife is a common scene in India. In return, Indian wives are devoted to their families. Quite often one may see wives in the act of circumambulating the sacred Tulsi plant with the sole object of bringing down a blessing on their husband and children.
Besides, in the West the sex equality has acquired its first impetus from the growth of the spirit of equality and it has been sustained by the peculiar relationships of the two sexes based upon the principle of rights. But in India this idea of equality has not grown yet. As Western men and women are both human they have been used to applying this principle among the individuals of the same sex as well as between those of the opposite sexes. It is really disgusting to see that the political parties of today’s free India are seeking credit for passing the women reservation bill. When our nation is celebrating its 75th year of Independence Day, it is pertinent for us to pay homage to the pioneers of the women’s movement in India.