The

spirit of

Indian

Women

पत्नी बेटी

म ाँ

स स बहन

पे्रममक

According to Hinduism, a woman is

form of energy (shaktiswarupini) or an aspect of Shakti.

Mother - mata, the Mother Goddess, or devi the auspicious one.

young child she is kanya, the goddess Durga.

wife she is patni and saha dharma charini, a partner in her husband’s religious duties.

As a mother she is worthy of worship (matrudevobhava).

The Vedic period

Works by ancient Indian grammarians such as Patanjali and Katyayana suggest that women were educated in the early Vedic period.

Rigvedic verses suggest that the women married at a mature age and were probably free to select their husband -

“SWAYAMVARA”Scriptures such as Rig Veda and Upanishads mention several

women sages and seers, notably Gargi and Maitreyi.Some kingdoms in the ancient India had traditions such as

nagarvadhu ("bride of the city"). Women competed to win the coveted title of the nagarvadhu.

Amrapali is the most famous example of a nagarvadhuWomen enjoyed equal status and rights during the early Vedic

period

Manu in 200 B.C.: "by a young girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house".

"In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman must never be independent." - Manusmriti

Women in the EPICs

Ramayana

Mahabharata

DraupadiKuntiGandhari

SitaKaikayiMantharaSrupanekhaSabari

Mandodari

Sati, child marriages and ban on widow remarriages became part of social life in India.

The Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent brought the purdah practice in the Indian society.

Among the Rajputs of Rajasthan, the Jauhar was practised Polygamy was widely practised among Hindu Kshatriya

rulers

In spite of these conditions, some women excelled in the fields of politics, literature, education and religion.

Razia Sultana became the only woman monarch to have ever ruledDelhi.

The Gond queen Durgavati ruled for fifteen years, before she losther life in a battle with Mughal emperor Akbar's general Asaf Khan in1564.

Chand Bibi defended Ahmednagar against the mighty Mughal forcesof Akbar in 1590s.

Jehangir's wife Nur Jehan effectively wielded imperial power and wasrecognized as the real force behind the Mughal throne.

Shivaji's mother, Jijabai was deputed as queen regent, because ofher ability as a warrior and administrator.

The Medieval period

Female saint-poets Mirabai , Akkamadevi, Rami Janabai and Lal Ded

Royal poetess – influenced administrationRani Padmini, Jahanara Begum and Princess Zebunnissa

Bhakti movement – reforms in the Indian society

SIKHISMGuru Nanak, the first guru of Sikhs also preached themessage of equality between men and women.He advocated that

women are allowed to lead religious assemblies;to perform and lead congregational hymn singing

called Kirtan or Bhajan;become members of religious management

committees;to lead armies on the battlefield;have equality in marriage,and equality in Amrit (Baptism)

Women & society – the concepts

Sati immolation of widows on her husband's funeral pyre. abolished by the British in 18291987, The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act.

Jauhar immolation of all the wives and daughters of defeated warriors, in order to avoid capture and consequent molestation by the enemy --

essentially followed by Rajput clan

Child marriages Children were married early in age/ infancy or childhoodThe young girls would live with their parents till they reached puberty.

Child widows were condemned to a life of great agony, shaving heads, living in isolation, and shunned by the society.Child marriage was outlawed in 1860

Purdah emerged as a practice to protect women from the evil eyes of the invaders -- declining tradition in India, practiced mostly by Muslims

Devadasis a religious practice - women are "married" to a deity or temple. The ritual was well established by the 10th century A.D. Now abolished under law

European scholars observed in the 19th century Hindu women are "naturally chaste" and "more virtuous" than other women.

Reformist movementRaja Ram Mohan Roy - abolition of the Sati practice in 1829Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar -- Widow Remarriage Act of 1856.

Pandita Ramabai also helped the cause of women upliftment

Freedom fightersRani Lakshmi Bai, the Queen of Jhansi, led the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Begum Hazrat Mahal, the co-ruler of Awadh, led the revolt of 1857.

The Begums of Bhopal - notable female rulers - did not observe purdah and were trained in martial arts.

Chandramukhi Basu, Kadambini Ganguly and Anandi Gopal Joshi --educational degrees.

1927 - The All India Women's Education Conference, Pune1929 -- the Child Marriage Restraint Act was passed (min age 14yrs)

You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women.- Jawaharlal Nehru

The British Raj

Some of the famous freedom fighters include

Bhikaji CamaDr. Annie Besant Pritilata WaddedarVijayalakshmi PanditRajkumari Amrit KaurSarojini Naidu Anjali AmmalAruna Asaf Ali Sucheta KriplaniKasturba GandhiMuthulakshmi Reddy Durgabai Deshmukh Captain Lakshmi Sahgal

Women in India now participate in all activities such as education, politics, media, art and

culture, service sectors, science and technology, etc.

The Indian constitution grants women equal rights with men

Late 1970-80s -- The feminist activism in India

Female activists united over issues such as female infanticide, gender bias,

women health, and female literacy.

Anti liquor campaigns --- violence against women

Indian Muslim women have questioned the fundamental leaders'

interpretation of women's rights under the Shariat law and

have criticized the talaq (Divorce) system.

In 1990s – Economic freedom

Self-help groups & NGOs such as Self Employed Women's Association

(SEWA) have played a major role in women's rights in India. Eg. 1959 - Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad

Many women have emerged as leaders of local movements. For example,

Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

The Government of India declared 2001 as the Year of Women's Empowerment

(Swashakti).

The National Policy For The Empowerment Of Women came was passed in 2001

जननी जन्म भुममस्च्य स्चवर् ादिअपी र्रीयसी ममत बबऱ मसत भ रती सरबे जर्िी शे्रय शीIndependent India

The Constitution of India

guarantees to all Indian women

equality (Article 14)

no discrimination by the State

(Article 15(1))

equality of opportunity (Article

16)

equal pay for equal work (Article

39(d)).

special provisions to be made by the

State in favour of women and children

(Article 15(3)),

renounces practices derogatory to the

dignity of women (Article 51(A) (e)),

and also allows for provisions to be

made by the State for securing just

and humane conditions of work and

for maternity relief (Article 42).

Legislative Department•Foreign Marriage Act, 1969•Guardians and Wards Act. 1890•Indian Succession Act, 1925•Married Women’s Property Act, 1874•Hindu Marriage Act, 1955•Hindu Succession Act, 1956•Indian Divorce Act, 1869•Hindu Minority & Guardianship Act, 1956•Hindu Adoption & Maintenance Act, 1956•Special Marriage Act, 1954•Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937•Relevant provisions of Indian Evidence Act•Converts Marriage Dissolution Act, 1966•Christian Marriage Act, 1872

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare•Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971•Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation & Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994•Mental Health Act, 1987

Ministry of Home Affairs•Relevant provisions of Indian Penal Code, 1860•Relevant provisions of Code of Criminal Procedure

Department of JusticeFamily Courts Act, 1984

Department of MinesMines Act, 1952

List of Acts having direct bearing on women

Ministry of Women and Child Development•The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987•Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961•Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986•Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956•Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005•National Commission for Women Act, 1990•The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006•Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000

Ministry of Labour & Employment•Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976•Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1979•Employees State Insurance Act, 1948•Equal Remuneration Act, 1976•Factories Act, 1948•Inter-state Migrant Workmen

(Regulation of Employment & Conditions of Service) Act, 1979•Legal Practitioners (Women) Act, 1923•Maternity Benefit Act, 1961•Minimum Wages Act, 1948•Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986•Payment of Wages Act, 1936•Plantations Labour Act, 1951•Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1923•Beedi & Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966•Cine Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1981

Remembering SOME WOMENArts and entertainmentSingers and vocalists such as M.S. Subbulakshmi, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha BhosleActresses Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji Anjolie Ela Menon is a famous painter.

PoliticsSushma Swaraj, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Sheila Dikshit, Jayalalitha, Uma Bharati, Mayawati, Sonia Gandhi

July 25, 2007 the country's ever first woman president Pratibha Patil

LiteratureAnita Desai, Arundhati Roy, Shobha De, Kiran Desai

SportsShania Mirza- Lawn tennisK. Malleswari and Kunjarani Devi – weightliftingP T Usha, Shiny Wilson - atheletics

Non profit sectorMedha Patkar, Vandana Shiva, Sunita Narayan, Ann Wright

Other fieldsTarla Dalal - popular cookery author, Shahnaz Husain - Indian beauticians and entrepreneur.

Corporate sectorNaina Lal Kidwai - first Indian woman to graduate from the Harvard Business School --the Chief Executive Officer of HSBCKiran Mazumdar Shaw - Biocon, a biotech firm Seema Luthra - President and Chief Executive Officer of Galileo India - electronic global distribution servicesShruti Bajpai - Director, Marketing, HBO South AsiaJyoti Mahendru Vice President—HR and Training at the Barista Coffee Company Ltd.Vidya Mohan Chhabria, chairperson of the $2 billion Jumbo GroupNaina Lal Kidwai Vice chairperson and managing director of HSBC Securities and Capital marketsSulaijja Firodia Motwani and Mallika Srinivasan who figure prominently in the automotive industry

"Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.“

Kofi Anan, UN Secretary General