Women are nation builders, every citizen grows up in her lap… Women upliftment but Dr. Ambedkar’s efforts
Dr. BR Ambedkar Efforts on Women Upliftment: After studying Vedic, Buddha and Kautilya times, Dr. BR Ambedkar found that leaving aside politics in all the three periods, women were undoubtedly in a better position in the intellectual and social field. But with the arrival of Manu in time, his condition became pathetic, about which Dr. BR Ambedkar was very worried.
By dalitawaz
Based on religious superstitions and religious scriptures, Ambedkar did a deep scientific analysis of the condition of women in the Indian society and made concerted efforts to get back the rights of women by moving ahead of the social reform movement going on at that time. They brought to light Prati Manu’s narrow views towards women and clarified that Manusmriti, along with propounding the principle of Chaturyavarna based on socio-economic inequality, also reinforces the patriarchal structure. That’s why calling for its demolition, he inspired the women community to live with dignity.
Ambedkar, through writings such as Riddle of Women, Women and Counter-Revolution, Rise and Fall of Hindu Women, showed how the Hindu Brahminical system and socio-cultural factors artificially determined gender and its differences and forced women to adopt traditional behaviour. forced to That is, they tried to make them passive and submissive by beautifying them with the respect of the house, patience and the likeness of the earth. Here Ambedkar comes close to Simone de Boer’s statement ‘A woman is not born, but is made’ (Simone de Beauvoir said, One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman). Like a researcher, he deeply studied the place of women in religion and tried to answer the question that why did Manu demote women?
Ambedkar argued that mainly two classes (women and shudras) were becoming followers of Buddha during the Buddhist era, due to which the foundation of Brahminism started to shake. Therefore, in order to stop the ever-expanding branches of Buddhism, Manu, while targeting the freedom of women, deprived them of it and imposed so many disabilities on them that they became completely crippled forever. Manu did not stop at this. Describing Buddhism as a hypocritical sect, the women who went to its shelter, aborted, drank alcohol and retaliated, were also deprived of Pindodak Kriya. Ambedkar also brought to light that the methods prescribed in Manusmriti towards women are not new or invented by Manu, but represent the ideology of Brahmin and Brahminism. Even before Manusmriti, these methods existed in the form of social beliefs. Manu only made them a part of the theology and state law and gradually these laws were converted into strict rules and became irrefutable. These circumstances forced Ambedkar to think of women and he made tireless efforts in the fields of education, marriage, family planning, maternity leave and Hindu Code Bill etc. for the upliftment of women (Dr. BR Ambedkar Efforts on Women Upliftment).
Education: Ambedkar realized that education is the only force that can cut all fetters. For the real progress of any country or community, it is necessary that all its citizens are educated. Dr. Ambedkar, the bearer of women’s emancipation, gave two basic mantras while teaching to live life with freedom, equality and self-respect – first, be educated, stay organized and struggle and second, Atta Deepo Bhava means be your own lamp.
He raised the question that why only men have monopoly on knowledge and learning? While a man studies in the house and if a woman studies in the house, then the whole family studies. On August 4, 1913, while studying in New York, Ambedkar had said that we should give up the principle of karma. It is wrong that parents give birth to children, they do not give karma. Keeping this in mind that parents can give a proper turn to the lives of their children, if we educate our boys as well as our girls, then the progress of our society will be rapid. That’s why this idea should be spread rapidly among close relatives. Women will be empowered towards their rights only by being educated. He believed that education is an important means to get freedom from the Brahminical patriarchal system. Ambedkar’s emancipation ideology was not adopted entirely from the West, as is said, but based on his own political and struggle, in addition to Western (enlightenment philosophy) and indigenous (Buddha, Kabir and Phule) sources. Was.
Simone de Beauvoir said, One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.
According to Ambedkar, women are nation builders.. Every citizen of the nation grows up in her lap. The development of the nation is impossible without awakening the women. That’s why women should cooperate in national progress by being educated.
Courtesy : Dalit Awaaz
Note: This news piece was originally published in dalitawaaz.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights