Women on the verge of future

It is rightly said that a nation’s progress is tied inadvertently with the amount of freedom its women enjoy in the society. The statement by Jawaharlal Nehru “You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of women” encapsulates the vision for women in the Indian nation that the architects of our nation had for the women of a free land soon after independence. It speaks of the vision Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar enshrined in the Indian Constitution which demands equal rights for women as men. Even the Vedic literature accords a high place for women and says that gods send prosperity the household that treats women well. However, over time, distortions and falsehood made their way in human minds and, perhaps, some of these impairments led to the lowly status that women were shunted into in previous ages. It does us no good to dwell in the past and bemoan the injustices done to women. What is important to recognize is that with the rise of the nation since independence, the Indian woman gained the rights and chance to become an equal partner in the nation’s progress and growth.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that women have never lacked the courage to show the world that they too are capable of great feats. From icons like Savitribai Phule, Kasturba Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu, Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi to Indra Nooyi, Saina Nehwal, Tina Dabi today, women have proved their mettle in all spheres of public and private life. In the new century, women in India have emerged from the shadows and the submissive roles assigned to them by society as free and independent individuals with their own distinct identity. The change in their political, social and economic roles aided by state policies has led to a greater participation of women in the public sphere. She is no longer tied irrevocably to the hearth and kitchen as in the past. They have been marching to new heights with confidence to a new world for themselves and all mankind.