Women in Indian Civilization: From Vedic to Contemporary Age/ ভারতীয় সভ্যতায় নারী : বৈদিক যুগ থেকে আধুনিক যুগ

Abstract

Since the Vedic Age, Women in India have always been hailed as an integral part of the society and considered as equal to men in every facet of life. In the Vedic Age, we came across at least 27 to 30 names of women of renown and scholarship such as Gargi, Maitreeye, Apala etc. These women were acclaimed as connoisseur of art, literature and philosophy with an enlightened vision to approximate the Supreme Being. In Devi Suktam in 10th Mandala of Rigveda, composed by the female Brahmavadin Vakh Rishi, declared herself as the Supreme Caretaker of the world. We find the reference of Goddess Ratri, who, in Rigveda, as the protector deity from the evil forces. Later, Swami Vivekananda had hailed Sita as the symbol of tolerance, stoic wisdom and hence, ideal of all Indian women. In fact, before the Abrahamic intrusion, the social status of women in India was high and admirable. In the Medieval and the Colonial period, women such as Queen Ahalyabai, Laxmibai and pious women such as Mother Sarada Devi, Bhubaneswari Devi deserve mention. Women revolutionaries such as Pritilata Waddedar, Beena Das, Ujjwala Mazumder fought against the British empire with great dedication, valour and undaunted spirit. Contrary to that, in the Western Civilization, women did not get the right to vote till 1920s. In Central Asian states such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, women have still been treated as sub-human species devoid of any human right and social security. Thus, it is high time that we should introspect our past and rewrite the history based of evidences and facts, rather than biased preconceived notions. The purpose of this paper is to offer a diachronic study of the position of women in India through scriptures, evidences and objective overview of history.