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As one of the pioneers of the feminism movement in India Tarabai Shinde wrote Stripurush Tulana in the late 1880s. Here is why she is such an inspiration
As one of the pioneers of the feminism movement in India, Tarabai Shinde wrote Stripurush Tulana in the late 1880s. Here is why she is such an inspiration even today.
Born in 1850, Tarabai Shine paved the way for feminism in India. Her work Stripurush Tulana and her ideas, were radically ahead of her time.
Tarabai Shinde was not only a feminist but also a founding member of the Satyashodhak Samaj. She wanted to educate and liberate oppressed groups, including Dalits and women.
These were the days when educating a woman was scorned at and girls’ schools were unavailable. However, Tarabai’s father, Bapuji Hari Shinde, decided not to deprive his daughter of the education that she deserved. He taught her Marathi, Sanskrit and English which helped her be well versed in classical and modern literature.
In a patriarchal society, she and her husband adopted a different family structure where her husband moved in with her family. Along with that she chose to remain childless and asserted to everyone that her value continued to be the same.
After being affected by an article appearing in Pune Vaibhav, 1881, she decided to publish her notable work Stripurush Tulana, or A Comparison Between Women and Men, in 1882. The article contained the story of a young Brahmin widow, Vijayalakshmi in Surat. Vijayalakshmi had aborted her son in fear of societal disgrace and ostracism. She was sentenced to be hanged.
Shinde tried to throw some light on the hypocritical norms and argued for widow remarriage and the abolition of strict behavioural codes for women. Her book questioned and criticised the logic behind the society’s need for a woman to be “chaste.” The text is a critique of upper-caste patriarchy and social inequality of caste.
She also challenged the Hindu religious scriptures as a source of women’s oppression. Tarabai had decided to protest against people’s unconscious biases as well as the deeply ingrained cultural norms and heritage that put women into disadvantage.
She did her part, and helped guide post-modern feminists like us. In the 1960s and 70s, feminist protests was about forming laws for equality in every hemisphere of our lives. But now in the 21st century, we have the laws. Then why are the women still being called and treated as the “weaker sex?” Because we are no longer dealing with only institutions. We are, instead, still dealing with people’s perceptions and ideas. And we are conducting ourselves in accordance with age-old stereotypes established in our psyches.
We need more Tarabais to embolden the women of our society. Instead of staying mute, it is necessary to speak up for ourselves and against the oppression and misogyny that is so visible in the patriarchal society.
The first step to feminism can be accepting yourself: body, mind and soul. Stop sighing when you look at yourself in the mirror. Introduce yourself to literature with strong female characters, because after all, we create our role models from books and movies.
Stop applying stereotypes to women as well as men. There are many ways in which Shinde might have tried to encourage the feminism in this age and we should try and continue from where she left off.
Picture credits: IndiaMart
An English literature student with a love for reading and writing, and who chills tucked under a cozy blanket, with a cup of chai, and a big, fat book on her lap. read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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