Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article is of the individual author's only and not to be construed in any manner as the official views of IIT Madras.
“I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men, they
are far superior and always have been.” – William Golding
A slapped bottom and a gang rape, a senior IAS officer and a
village woman from Rajasthan, both have moved the courts, seeking justice for
all women. Both have stood up in the public arena to say that they have been
robbed of freedoms supposedly guaranteed to them by the Constitution of independent
India. Rupan Deol Bajaj of Chandigarh and Bhanvari
Devi of Bhateri village have
focussed attention on Indian feminism. Yet, notwithstanding the publicity given
to the most famous derriere in India at the moment, women's groups say they
have been "heartened" by the media response to Bhanvari Devi.
When the social worker from Rajasthan addressed a press
conference, almost every newspaper carried the story the next day. The district
judge may have declared the upper caste men do not rape, but nobody doubted
Bhanvari's word. The campaign for a law on sexual harassment in the workplace
has gathered momentum because of Bhanvari's experience and women's groups are
planning several demonstrations in Jaipur in support of her. Rupan Bajaj may be
a talking point, but Bhanvari Devi is the rallying cry. In Nineties India, a
poor village woman has become a feminist symbol.
From anti-dowry campaigns in the '80s, to anti-rape demonstrations
in the '90s, Indian feminism has taken a trajectory that has brought it into
closer contact with the spontaneous struggles of women throughout the country.
Feminism in India has been a long, unsettled debate which is still
persistently prevalent in various forms. The emergence of “Feminism” has been a
powerful challenge to the prevailing power structures and gender equations at
the level of the family, the economy and the polity. The term “feminism” evokes
many positive associations and connotations when used in the Western context.
Undoubtedly, this revolutionary movement played a vital role in liberating the
status of women. This evolved from women’s own awareness and their struggles
against power structures which excluded them from equal participation in many
aspects of the economic, social and political life of their society.
For most Indians, except a microscopic number of highly
westernized, elite people, the term “feminism” means nothing. Neither does that
particular term have any equivalents in any of the Indian language. If
anything, the term has acquired many negative connotations in recent years.
Most urban English-speaking Indians are familiar with the term “feminism”, but
their understanding of it remains vague. Among the urban literate, the
awareness of feminism is largely confined to what is perceived of as the moral
corruption of women.
For most Indian males feminism has contained to be an “obnoxious”
word, which they feel have tremendous negative effects on the minds of Indian
females. Since the Indian female has always been a considerably more
conditioned product, totally custom-made and usually coerced into a mindless
acceptance of male diktat, the possibility of a reasoned, open-minded approach
to the concept of feminism has been at best sporadic. Indians are so biased and
prejudiced against the concept of “feminism” that they mark out each and every
person working for or supporting the women’s cause, are inevitably tabooed as
if she/he is a terrorist, exploding anti-social elements and ideas, and
corrupting Indian traditions and cultures. In fact, anyone working for women’s
rights irrespective of the nature of their work, is automatically assumed to be
a conscious or unconscious feminist, and allowed no choice on this issue.
Since the situation of women in India is quite miserable and a
great deal needs to be done on their behalf, it is important that Indian
feminists understand the Indian context thoroughly. Indian feminists need to
phrase and frame their criticisms, their arguments and their demands keeping in
mind the sensitive issues and sentiments related to the Indian society.
Contributed by Mamidi Vijaya Bhaskar. Vijaya Bhaskar is an Undergraduate student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering,IIT Madras.
