Gandhi on Women Emancipation
The book ‘Gandhi’s contribution to the emancipation of women’ by Aloo J. Dastur and Usha H. Mehta focuses on the work done for the women of India. And how much did Gandhi contribute towards their emancipation.
The book has altogether 5 chapters, starting with the first chapter which is ‘Position of women in before Gandhi’. Chapter 2, 3, 4 is about ‘Social regeneration’, ‘Economic regeneration’, and ‘Political regeneration’ of the women in our Indian Society when Gandhi came into the scene. And the last chapter is ‘Gandhi and the present status of women’, which is mostly an attempt made by the authors to assess the contribution made by Gandhi to the emancipation of women in comparative context.
The first sentence of the book is that – “The status of women in society is a measuring rod and a true index of its civilisation and cultural attainment” which is very true. History has been proof that women and their issues are always side tracked or often not taken seriously. The women have always been neglected when planning about the society’s development, and thinking of the nation’s interest. Like for example: - during national movement women rights/empowerment was not the priority. It was about India being a Nation. It was said that let India become a Nation first, then we can talk about empowering women. But even today after all these years we see that still society is talking about women inequality. And very less is being done for the women by the nation policy makers.
The women in India have undergone various changes in their position starting from the Vedic age till now the 21st century. Their position has differed from period to period and varied in different parts of the country at the same time. The women of our nation were not always suppressed and restraint. During the various finds from Mohenjodaro like the female goddesses, female figurines, ornaments and toilet jars, it was assumed that a form of matriarchate prevailed and women were at the forefront,
The book has altogether 5 chapters, starting with the first chapter which is ‘Position of women in before Gandhi’. Chapter 2, 3, 4 is about ‘Social regeneration’, ‘Economic regeneration’, and ‘Political regeneration’ of the women in our Indian Society when Gandhi came into the scene. And the last chapter is ‘Gandhi and the present status of women’, which is mostly an attempt made by the authors to assess the contribution made by Gandhi to the emancipation of women in comparative context.
The first sentence of the book is that – “The status of women in society is a measuring rod and a true index of its civilisation and cultural attainment” which is very true. History has been proof that women and their issues are always side tracked or often not taken seriously. The women have always been neglected when planning about the society’s development, and thinking of the nation’s interest. Like for example: - during national movement women rights/empowerment was not the priority. It was about India being a Nation. It was said that let India become a Nation first, then we can talk about empowering women. But even today after all these years we see that still society is talking about women inequality. And very less is being done for the women by the nation policy makers.
The women in India have undergone various changes in their position starting from the Vedic age till now the 21st century. Their position has differed from period to period and varied in different parts of the country at the same time. The women of our nation were not always suppressed and restraint. During the various finds from Mohenjodaro like the female goddesses, female figurines, ornaments and toilet jars, it was assumed that a form of matriarchate prevailed and women were at the forefront,