Indian Woman, Feminism and Women's Liberation

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Capitalism and Communism, the progenies of the Semitic culture, have given birth to two different streams of women's reformist movements Feminism and Women's Liberation. These streams, which have stormed western society and communist groups, have now actively intruded into the Indian socio-political milieu. The moment these concepts encounter with Indian realities, they display their inherent contradictions and limitations. But seldom an Indian alternative to such views is discussed. This book is an attempt to understand the Indian approach through a comparative study aimed at addressing the issues related to the future woman.

ocieties have a paradoxical way of looking at women. While on one hand women are dominated and thought of as the weaker half of the population, on the other hand, their strength is perceived as being capable of achieving equality in status with men. In the West, the women's movement and serious discussions on freedom and equality of women have only become prominent during the last few centuries. Meanwhile, India has had a long history of social thinkers and Rishis recording the high position and the respect given to women at home and in society. This book is a comparative study of the Western and Indian views of women. There is a large volume of writings and studies on women in Sanskrit literature as well as in western literature. The problem however is that those who are proficient in Sanskrit generally may not be exposed to the course of the global movements, whereas those who are well-versed in western ideas are only superficially connected to Sanskrit literature. This book tries to pick up on only the glaring aspects of the subject as conveyed in both the Indian and the western tradition and presents the whole subject in a comprehensive way. As far as possible, this book gives relevant references to each issue discussed which will be helpful to those pursuing further studies on the role of women. This book also looks into the diverse causes of deterioration in the status of women in India during the ups and downs in the course of history.

First, I would like to congratulate Shri Saji Narayanan for writing this erudite and thought-provoking book. Being a Keralite, he has command over Indian feminism and women's studies. His retrospective writing about the feminist movement's progress, its after-effects and rethinking is useful and provides a much needed direction to Indian discourse on the subject; he also tells us how and where we lack proper thinking in this field. Even a simple glimpse at the index gives the reader an idea of the vast coverage of the book.

To write about woman's condition, rules and society's way of perceiving her and her role from the ancient to modern period is a daunting task, and he has completed it with utter hard work. We can see a consistency in thinking from the Vedic period to the last century's social thinkers. There is proper cognizance of traditions and irregularities in different periods. Man's hunger for power and wickedness over a long period and the punishment for that is considered in the proper context in this book.

In India, women had always been respected. Many Ruchas and Shlokas, Vedas, Upanishads, and Smritis talk about her talent, artistic qualities and valour. We need to do more research and develop deeper thinking regarding this topic in the Indian context.

Western thinking about feminism and women's liberation has been adequately presented in this book. As both Indian and Western thought has been presented in this book, it has become a ready reference for researchers as well as social workers.

Shri Saji Narayanan's book is a timely and comprehensive publication on the history of feminism, the women's liberation movement and women empowerment. It contains an analytical study and an accurate description of various aspects of the subject. It is helpful for history students, sociologists, and general readers alike, as it is a truth-seeking presentation that does not touch on bias or sentimentality.

If there is any meaning and purpose to the social evolution of man, it is the pilgrimage from imperfection to perfection, from sorrow to happiness, from ignorance to knowledge. Like any pilgrimage, it is full of misery. Knowingly or unknowingly, strict dedication and determination to achieve the goal are essential for its success. Man faces problems and challenges at every stage of his long journey, which can only be completed in billions of years. The strange fact is that when one problem is solved, many other issues arise. History bears witness to this.

Western social scientists say that the primitive man progressed by struggling and competing first with nature and then with animals. But the competition does not end there. It progresses to competition between humans and humans and tribes and tribes. The competition intensifies at various stages of growth for a variety of reasons. Karl Marx describes class-based competition in detail.