Indianising Women Discourse

New Delhi: “Any issue to be discussed in Bharat has to be discussed with the Indian perspectives only. If we discuss the issues with the foreign perspectives the outcome will be incomplete and impractical in most cases,” said Sarkaryavah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi, while addressing a gathering of women on March 24 at a national seminar on the topic ‘Indian Perspectives on Women’.

The two-day discussion, jointly organised by Drushti, Stree Adhyayan Prabodhan Kendra, Pune, and Aryabhatta College of Delhi University, was inaugurated on March 23. The research effort was sponsored by ICSSR, ICHR and ICPR. About 200 thinkers, researchers from various parts of the country joined the discussion. The discussion was crafted with six plenary sessions along with four parallel sessions.

The first three plenary sessions on the first day contextualised the issue by discussing different philosophies—Western, Eastern, and Bharatiya in the respective sessions. The four parallel sessions focused on the conceptual understanding of the key terms generally used in women discourse. The second-day plenary sessions discussed the challenges faced by Indian women in various societal structures.

Former Principal of BMCC College, Pune Prof Aniruddha Deshpande said the issues of women are not the issues of women alone, but the whole society and they have to be addressed collectively. He said the social mentality and activity should not be contradictory but should be complementary, and the women issues should be addressed in the same manner. Both men and women are equal partners in the development of the country. Each segment of the society be it family, society, nation fall in the concentric circles, no entity obstructs the path of the other. Interdependence and mutuality are organic to such an ecosystem!

RSS Akhil Bharatiya Mahila Samanvya Pramukh Sushri Geetatai Gunde stressed the need to organise more such discussions at the local level. She discussed the very idea of approaching this domain of discourse from Bharatiya perspective and inclusiveness of the approach.

Vice Chancellor of Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Sonepat, Prof Sushma Yadav said not only law, but the society and family should also grant protection to women. Prof Chandrakala Pandya from BHU said men and women are complementary to each other and we need to develop the culture of caring and sharing.

Noted economist and thinker Dr Bajranglal Gupt said our society is multidimensional and heterogeneous. Hence, the one-dimensional discussion would not produce any practical result. He said the Bharatiya women have innate strength to overcome all the challenges and they guide the families, society and the nation.

Union Minister of Textile Smt Smriti Irani said once somebody asked Vivekananda to say something about the women. He said ‘gift them the right to education; they will achieve everything else’. Smt Mamta Yadav, Smt Manisha Kothekar, ‘Organiser’ editor Shri Prafulla Ketkar, Prof Rajnish Shukla, Prof VK Malhotra, Prof Shashi Wanjari, Prof Uma Vaidya, Prof Viney Kapoor Mehra, Dr Jayasree, Smt. Rashmi Das Singh, Sushri Naina Sahasrabuddhe also shared their views.