Millions of Indians came together on 15th August to celebrate the 70th edition of India's independence from years of British colonial rule. Freedom failed to misguide the country, and instead, we stand today with pride in the global arena. How evolved is India, though? The economy's all right, we have better healthcare than most leading nations, and yes, who doesn't want to invest in our countries?
One of the major international movements currently is the movement of gender equality. Feminism is raging, and women everywhere are fighting for what is their's. India has come a long way where its women are concerned. The female gender has long been contributing to the society, and still does; the only change being, time. When India got independence, while the participation of female nationalists was openly and widely acknowledged, it was minimal as compared to their male counterparts. We all know Mahatma Gandhi, as the trailblazer of the 'Quit India' movement, but how many know Kasturba, his wife, as a political activist and not just his wife? The sex ratio during those times were not as twisted as it is now, and yet, women struggled.
Debates have long been conducted over women's status in the Indian society. Patriarchy always managed to subdue the fairer sex, pulling them down where education, economic position, health, etc., is concerned. These were the days when female infanticide was rampant, and women born weren't allowed an education. Dowries were paid to marry off a daughter, and God forbid, she was dark in complexion, and couldn't make perfectly round rotis. Women who participated in the nationalist movement retired to their homes, making the perfect wives. The Indian government played its part and made constitutional amendments, like the Sharda Act, and the Dowry Prohibition Act, yet there was no visibly radical change in the situation.
Change came during the 1960s, when a few educated women dared to venture out. India saw a rare glimpse of the female discontent with the society. Women were finally opening up, shaking the status quo in the process. School drop out rates fell, and literacy rates increased. Girls grew up to become doctors and engineers, even astronauts and scientists.
The modern Indian woman today, is a strange being. She is daring, outspoken, knows what she wants and how to get it. There is no field where an Indian woman hasn't made her mark. The political scenario of the country saw strong female characters pass on their power amongst leaders like Indira Gandhi, Uma Bharti, Vasundhra Raje, Jayalalithaa, Mamata Banerjee and Sushma Swaraj. The field of literature has established writers like Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Jhumpa Lahiri. Cinema has Rekha, Smita Patil, Shabana Aazmi, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra. Indra Nooyi, Chitra Ramakrishna, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chanda Kochhar, have proved their mettle in their sector. The one thing common between all these women and others, is their conviction to change the norms.
The change in the attitude of the society, and the added support of the government were also factors that helped pushed the women to the top. The Indian government introduced female-friendly laws over the years, giving a much needed nudge. While there is a lot yet to be accomplished for an Indian woman to enjoy complete freedom, a look down history shows us how far she has come, and how much she has achieved.
