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Our country India, the largest democracy of the world, is moving towards completing seventy-five years of its independence from British colonialism. We are getting ready to celebrate the diamond jubilee of our country’s independence. The contribution of women of the country, who constitute almost half of the population, needs no introduction in the independence that India has gained from the British. The role and contribution of a number of brave and courageous women in the national liberation movement, starting from Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi (1828-1858 AD) and Avantibai Lodhi (1831-1858 AD) who set examples from the supreme sacrifice of their lives in the first attempt for the freedom of the country in the year 1857 AD, to the independence of Bharat in the year 1947 AD, has been written with pride in the golden pages of our history. These pages also hold in respect the names of Bhikhaji Cama (1861–1936 AD), Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949 AD), Amrit Kaur (1887–1964 AD), Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (1903–1988 AD), Lakshmi Sehgal (1914–2012 AD) and so many others who proved that Indian women are capable of meeting the biggest of the challenges when their countrymen are at stake.    

After the independence of India, women have played an important role in the reconstruction of the country at all levels in all walks of life. Wherever women got opportunities, be it the social field or education, science, politics or economic, or art, culture and literature, they well proved from their hard labour, dedication, talent and skill that they could do whatever men can for the progress of society and the nation. Not only this, in some of the fields including science and politics, women have done phenomenal work.

After the independence of the country, with the aim of empowering women through their participation in various walks of life, steps were also taken from time-to-time, in which some could be called very important. The provisions of equal right to vote, and other rights in the Constitution, the Special Marriage Act of 1954 and the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 respectively, should be seen in the context of the steps taken for women. The Succession Act of the year 2005 AD, followed by the ruling of the Supreme Court of India with the sole purpose of making it more effective was the most concrete effort towards the empowerment of women.

More work has been done in this direction in the country. The manner in which during the last few years, construction of toilets at large scale, especially in homes in villages, arrangement for gas connections in faraway villages, etc., could also be considered on priority in the context of the welfare of women.

But, after forty-six years of the freedom of the country, in the year 1993, the provision made through the 73rd-74th Amendments of the Constitution of India for 33% reservation for women in panchayats-municipal bodies was, in fact, a revolutionary step in the entire Indian history to pave the way for women-empowerment. This move got further impetus when the provinces like Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand increased this women’s reservation from 33 to 50%.  

But there is still much more to be done in that direction. On priority, a similar arrangement is expected in the provincial legislatures and the Parliament as well. It is the need of the hour. With their participation in governance, through their solid representation in the principal law-making bodies, women will, undoubtedly, step forward rapidly towards ensuring their empowerment and self-reliance.

I would also like to point out one more fact here. Women’s empowerment and self-reliance, irrespective of the legal arrangements, can be ensured only when the male-class accepts the reality of unavoidable contribution of women and the veracity of their role in the progress of society and the nation. In this regard, through the change in their mindset, they should be firm to move forward shoulder-to-shoulder with women. This situation may seem difficult, but it is not impossible. In the India of today, standing at the door of the Diamond Jubilee of its independence, the male community has to take a pledge to keep their women equally respectable by giving them equal opportunity for the progress of the country. It is only then that things can change on the grassroot level. In the end, it is apt to sum up with Mahatma Gandhi’s words, “Man can never be a woman’s equal in the spirit of selfless service with which nature has endowed her.” Let us make them our partner in every area for our country to grow into a Vishwaguru.

*A Padma Shri and Sardar Patel National Awardee Indologist Dr. Ravindra Kumar is a Former Vice Chancellor of CCS University, Meerut; he is also the Editor-in-Chief of Global Peace International Journal