Women Empowerment : the women era has begun

The subjugation  of women in India and their empowerment has been a raging issue which has kept the debate alive in and outside the Pariament. The central government’s effort  to provide the women folk  33 percent reservation in the legislative Assemblies and the Parliament had gone through rough weather due to protest from certain quarters  on one pretext or the other. But the basic attitude towards the proposal  was to scuttle the Bill because that is seen by the male dominated Indian society as a ploy to cut into their traditional fiefdom.  But inspite of the game plan.  women folk in the Indian polity have been successful  in securing for it the place hitherto thought  to be the domain of the male folk only.  Today, we see the post of the President has been occupied by a woman whose simplicity and silently active nature has earned a rightful place for the womenfolk hitherto unknown. Besides, the post of the Speaker of Lok Sabha and several sates having woman as its Chief Minister foretells the future polity of our country. If we analyse the period preceding these events it would be clear that women leaders cutting across the party llines have been successful in co-ordinating their effort in getting themselves assertive in the political hierarchy through their sheer leadership qualities  like patience. sensitivity and pragmatic approach. Till yesterday, the male dominated political psyche had been harping on the point that politics and administration is best suited for the male nature and it is not suitable for the female. But the Indian women folk in surprising contrast to their European counterparts have asserted themselves right from the sixties when the late Prime Minister Sm. Indira Gandhi had achieved something concrete for the country. The credit for this process should go to the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi also  who gave reservation to the women at the Panchayat level. This had strengthened the women empowerment at the grassroot level. Partly, the success of the Indian women derives from the inherent weakness of the male dominated polity which is  not adapted to the democratic style of functioning and the male ego kept them divided them most of the time. In contrast, the female quality of adaptability and tolerance had enabled them to lead their team unitedly under adverse conditions. If we see this aspect from the historical aspect then we come to know that the woman had been rightly honoured in our society. The male dominance is not traditionally Indian but is the influence of a foreign culture which views women as a commodity rather than an independent entity. This influence lasted for a long period which helped in shaping the attitude of the Indian males. If we go further than the Turk-Afghan period then we can see that women were seen as a part and parcel of the the family.  Women scholars like Gargi, Gayatri have  been mentioned in the Vedic scriptures.  No Hindu ritual is complete without his spouse which shows the importance of the women folk in our tradition. Lord Ram is incomplete without Sita. Shiva is not complete without his Shakti. Lord Krishna is not meaningful  without Radha, his consort. It is time that the male dominating society sees the truth written in history, which repeats itself.