Dr Ambedkar as the Champion of Women’s Rights
Shura Darapuri
Shura Darapuri
"We
shall see better days soon and our progress will be greatly accelerated if male
education is persuaded side by side with female education…" were the words
of young Ambedkar, during his studies at New York which came out while writing
a letter to his father's friend. On 18th July 1927, Dr. Ambedkar addressed a
meeting of about three thousand women of the Depressed Classes, where he said,”I measure the progress
of community by the degree of progress which women had achieved.” He
strongly believed in the fact that if “a woman is educated a family is educated”.
He not only encouraged them to get educated themselves but also encouraged them
to educate their children and keep them away from all kinds of vices. He
strongly opposed taking of intoxicants that was because he realised that most
cases of domestic violence occurred under their influence.
Women were the major force in all the struggles
initiated by Dr Ambedkar. In the historic Mahad Satyagraha, there were about
500 women who took active part in the procession. Dr. Ambedkar also raised the women's
issue as Member of Legislative
Council during his debate in Bombay Legislative Assembly on 10th Nov. 1938. He strongly advocated
family planning measures and said that besides many other problems giving birth
to many children negatively affects a mother's health. In India, the insatiable
desire to have son renders the life of women miserable, for she is pestered to
produce more children till she gives birth to a son. Later in the year 1942,
Dr. Ambedkar also introduced Maternity Benefit Bill during his tenure as Labour
Minister in Governor General's Executive Council.
While drafting the Constitution of India, Dr.
Ambedkar was the prime mover of the provisions related to the welfare of women.
On the question of civil rights, Dr. Ambedkar made provisions in Articles 14-16
of the Indian
Constitution, which provided equal status to women and also banned the sale and
purchase of women prevailing in Hindu India. Further to ensure women’s status
Dr. Ambedkar also introduced an emancipatory bill (the Hindu Code Bill) in Parliament
which intended mainly (1)
to abolish different marriage systems prevalent among Hindus and to establish
monogamy as the only legal system; (2)
Conferment of right to property and adoption on women; 3) restitution of conjugal rights and
judicial separation; attempts to unify the Hindu Code in tune with progressive
and modern thought. The Bill invited a lot of opposition from the orthodox
sections of society and ultimately Dr Ambedkar had to resign on that account. In
the history of India, perhaps that was one sole instance when a man tendered
resignation for the cause of women.
But unfortunately,
in
the present times despite the various Constitutional safeguards and various
laws claiming equality to all citizens, women are denied rights enjoyed by a citizen
of this country. In fact she
is denied even the basic right to live. She may bring the man into the world by
carrying him in her womb for nine months yet she is not allowed to live another
day once it is known that it is ‘she’ and not ‘he’ there in the womb. It is
found that though advances are being made in the field of science
and technology, worldwide literacy rates have risen yet old societal norms seem
to govern the day. On accountn of
this the
cases of violence against women, are on a rise . According to one World Report
report 70% of women had
experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in life.
Most countries make proud claims of being ‘independent’
yet a cloud of fear lurks constantly over the minds of most of their womenfolk.
In India, for example though men are supposed to be custodian of women’s honour
and dignity, yet
it is seen that leave
alone the common
man neither well trained army nor police
with high tech arms have been successful in preventing a woman from getting
raped in this
country. On the contrary, they also seem to choose the most vulnerable ‘ill-nourished’ lot of women
of their country to ‘show off’ their prowess. In
a recent Tarn Taran incident of Punjab it was seen, hefty policemen took turns to
beat a poor dalit girl when she went to lodge a complaint against her
molestation. In a recent incident a young child of ten is put behind bars for
“being raped” while the culprits moved freely and fearlessly.
In another incident at Delhi, a young child of three
was drugged and raped by the ‘husband’ of the owner of the playschool.
People religiously take turn to take dips in the
holy river at Kumbh, year after year people go for Haj, women remain more
hungry for most days of the year, yet none ensures her a secure environment where she can
breathe freely, move out of her house fearlessly!
In such a situation when immorality seems to be the
order of the day how is a woman expected to get herself educated and contribute
to the progress of the country?
Dr Ambedkar greatly emphasised on a society based on moral
values. Education is incomplete without instructions in moral values. According
to Dr Ambedkar “Morality comes in only when Man comes in relation to Man. It arises from the
direct necessity from Man to love Man. It does not require the sanction of God. It is
not to please God that Man has to be moral but for the good of the society.”
Dr Ambedkar attached great importance to the need of
right relations i.e., social morality which according to him sustained the
society in the hours of crisis. It can prevent the acts of barbarism, injustice
and inhumanity. Man by following the path of righteousness, which in other
words means right relations between Man and Man in all spheres of life, can pave the way for
peace and justice which serves as effective coordination among people
themselves. That is possible only when all of us come together irrespective of
caste, creed, sex, religion, region to build a better world for our future
generations!
Shura
Darapuri
Head, Department of History
Baba
Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University,
Lucknow (UP)
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