“Beginning with a loyal acceptance of the standards of society, women would more and more, as they advanced in achievement, learn to understand both the commands and the opportunities, which characterised the national life. By fulfilling those demands, and availing themselves to the full of their opportunities, they would grow more Indian than ever before, even while they entered on a grandeur of development, of which the past had never dreamt”. – Sister Nivedita, The Master As I Saw Him, Sister Nivedita Girls School, Kolkata, 1967, p. 197
September 19, 2023, would be engraved as the historic day in the history of Bharat, with the first meeting in the new Parliament indigenously built as per the requirement of the resurgent nation. The subsequent proceedings of the special session proved to be even more historic with the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill to be implemented in a phased manner. Both houses of the Parliament passed the bill with almost a consensus, with just two votes of the Owaisi-led AIMIM going against the same in the Lok Sabha. The implementation part is tedious and will take some time to take shape, as per the Constitutional requirements of delimitation of the Constituencies and earmarking the rotational seats for women. As the process has been set rolling with the passage of the bill, its significance needs to be understood in the context of our national life.
From its inception, Bharat as a civilisation, philosophically and in practice, never conceived of women as an inferior gender. The soul has no gender, and every living and non-living thing is divine. Therefore, everyone has a right to realise the divinity within, irrespective of gender. Right from the beginning of the Vedic period, we find the contributions of over 36 Rishikas (women sages), who are mentioned in various Vedic texts in deciphering the laws of nature. The great women of those times have shown the same pursuit and contributed to the knowledge traditions of the subsequent literature. The travelogues of foreigners such as Megasthenes find mention of the female rulers and performing various roles, including bodyguards, in the palaces. Ramayan, Mahabharat and the Upanishadic literature also find strong female characters and their role in decision-making and imparting knowledge.
With time, women were confined to household activities due to social stagnation and the onslaught of external aggressions. The same Sanatan texts that prescribed spiritual equality and socio-economic complementarity were interpreted and practised with a discriminatory approach. At the same time, we find a continuous reformist zeal that challenged such interpretations. Hence, in the Bhakti tradition, a new form of female saints carved out their place through devotion and poetry in society. At the same time, from Mahaprajapati Gautami to Rani Laxmibai, there is a series of queens who earned a place in history through their courage, valour, determination and intelligence, along with administrative, and political skills. The reformist movement for education and participation of women also constituted a critical part of our freedom struggle. In many Western countries, women had to fight for fundamental democratic rights such as voting till the 1970s. In Bharat, at one stroke, we adopted adult franchise without any hiccups. In the last seventy-five years, we have made remarkable progress in providing opportunities to women. From high Constitutional positions like Prime Minister and President to entrepreneurs and locomotive drivers, women created a place for themselves with educational opportunities.
Still, the exposure as envisaged by Swami Vivekananda in the form of Rani Rashmani – whom he called a woman of the people – is still absent in our society. Social and political participation of women in the national reconstruction is the way forward. Prime Minister Modi made unprecedented policy statements and initiatives for women’s dignity and security. After gas connections, drinking water supply, housing and toilets, the reservation bill is a feather in the cap of the Modi Government in the commitment towards women-led development. When we strive to find a rightful place in the comity of nations, the optimum utilisation of skills and competence of Bharatiya women would be necessary for social transformation. As Swamiji said, “With five hundred men, the conquest of Bharat might take fifty years: with as many women, not more than a few weeks”. Ironing out issues like representation from all castes and regions will be the next step forward, but before that, let the fifty per cent population of Bharat assume the role of law-makers with thirty-three per cent seats just as women without any suffix or prefix. That would be a new beginning in the democratic journey of Sanatan Rashtra.
