The recently released movie Pink makes people sit back and consider things that have been long forgotten, a film that emphasizes a woman’s freedom to her body and sexuality. The main focus of this film is to accept the two distinct standards of society: the conceptions of the priorities of male privilege, moralization and misogyny faced or likely to be experienced by women across the country on a daily basis. While in modern India the patriarchy is firmly rooted, the country has a long history of women, even under strong social pressure, who have fought to comply. Here’s a look at India’s amazing journey through the years.
Several allusions of women intellectuals like Lopamudra, Maitreyi, and Gargi occur in the early Vedic literature. Gargi Vachaknavi is thought to be a pioneer among the educated ladies of her age. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, it was stated that during a public argument with Vedic philosopher Yajnavalkya philosopher she raised some of the deepest problems in Vedanta – the nature of the soul (Brahman) and the beginnings of the cosmos. Years later, during the 10th century, Kashmir was ruled by Queen Didda, who was disabled by a leg. His enormous political survival skill, the capacity to rule, and the stability she had achieved in the fractured kingdom, are why she was sometimes referred to as Catherine of Kashmir as the ruthless Catherine of the Great (the longest-ruling female leader of Russia). Many of the first battles were witnessed by trained middle-class individuals like Raja Ram Mohan Roy (who crucified social problems like Sati, polygamy, and marriage to children), Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (who championed the cause of widow remarriage), and DD Karve (who sought to eliminate widows). In the course of the struggle against child marriage by Behram Malabari, Mahadev Govind Ranade created a Widow Marriage Association in 1861.
During this time the status quo was also still challenged by Indian women, who were struggling for their place in the sun. Some women who became feminist ideals include Anandibai Joshi – the first Indian to study abroad, Kamini Roy – who led the suffragist movement of India and fought for women’s right to education, Kadambini Ganguli – one of India’s first two female graduates and one who studied in a men’s college to become a teacher.