A Journal of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya

Seeing their unbending resolve, Gandhiji
had to comply and allow them to join.
Dandi March and its culmination–the Salt
Satyagrah – proved how women could
in fact work more and harder than men.
Many such instances show the influence
that these leaders harbored coming from
‘gender’ based prejudices begot by the
patriarchal order. Many factors ensured
that Indian women’s struggle for
emancipation was easier when compared
to those of Europe. European women had
to struggle long and hard to earn their
political rights and suffrage. In 1928,
Sarojini Naidu put forth the proposal to
allow women their right to vote councils
in a Congress meeting held in Mumbai
(then Bombay). Madan Mohan Malviya
took strong exception to that. The proposal
was passed despite his opposition. It can
be said that the educated middle class
participating in the Freedom Movement
used to support women in their path to
empowerment, even if for a few steps.
In India, feminists and supporters of
women’s liberation have done perilous
struggle not just for their own cause.
Feminists have led and have been part
of several social movements, like Bodhgaya
Mukti Movement, Chipko movement, and
the struggle in Andhra Pradesh against
alcohol which also destabilized the then
government. Women have also been fairly
successful in these attempts. In this respect,
it has been the unique accomplishment
of women’s struggle in India, besides being
a marker of the expanse and depth of
the movement.
A century ago, a Utopia of women’s
emancipation was authored by Rukaiya
Sakhavat Hussain in her work titled ‘Sultana
ka Sapna’. In it, men did all the household
work and women looked after the public
matters. Although the idea for this Utopia
was not seated in hostility, it did reverse
the operation of society to realize itself.
The present discourse of women’s
emancipation is far ahead of that thinking.
It doesn’t merely invert the binary; instead
it seeks to ensure collaboration,
independence and equanimity.
It is of note that Utopia and Reality
are not mutually exclusive. Both are in
a dialectical relationship. Understanding
and unraveling layers of reality lead to
Utopia taking shape. The concept of Utopia,
on the other hand, allows us to perceive
our reality better, and aids us in grappling
with and resolving its conundrums. The
Utopia of women’s liberation can, therefore,
not be carved without understanding the
many aspects of reality. Patriarchy has
a multi-layered relationship with the
structure of society. Therefore, it is only
by keeping these aspects in cognizance
that the roadmap to this Utopia can be
formulated. Given the complex web of
Patriarchy, it is impossible to emancipate
women completely without changing the
entire social structure. One day, this Utopia
142 :: January-March 2012