The much disliked term ‘colonialism’ no longer refers to an antiquated past practice of perpetuating political hegemony but it is something that people readily embrace both as a state of mind and a state of life. It usually prompts them to have unbridled ascendency over the family and a culture of stigma, subjugation, shame, silencing and stereotyping still betides women and Germane Greer, Simone de Beauvoir and Julia Kristeva hardly take the edge off. It is astounding appraisal of the dominant discourse of patriarchy produced by an irrepressible Hindi author Namita Singh in her brilliant work “Stri-Prashn” (Question of Womanhood) that appeared recently.
In her wide ranging and searing attack on Indian patriarchy, Namita Singh attempts to understand why a better sense of self-worth still eludes women at large. For the author, piety, purity, domesticity, sacrifice, self-effacement and submissiveness are not the cardinal values of womanhood. Real empowerment exhorts women to enjoy other than what the male-dominated society defines as success.
Serious debate
The book is astutely divided into five sections and the first section delineates the historical chronology of female creativity in literature with remarkable thoroughness. Initiating an informal debate coupled with documentary evidences on female sensibilities, Namita Singh points out that the first focused and detailed study on womanhood was published in 1882 in India while the widely acclaimed text of feminism “The Second Sex” appeared in 1940. The book “Stri-Prush Tulna” (Male-female: A comparison) blazed a new trail in proffering a serious debate on intellectual, emotional and physical traits of women who were considered inferior on all counts. The author Tara Bai Shinde turned attention on the pitiable plight of widows and for her marriage was hardly more than an institutionalised means of exploitation that became an acceptable social norm in the male dominated world.
Stree Prashn
Much admired conjugal alliance only strengthened male lechery and ‘life of desire’ had no meaning for women. They could not demand any sort of respect and equality. Namita Singh aptly pays tribute to Tara Bai Shinde for recognising hypocrisy of the middle class who found the British education and value system quite beneficial but it did not allow women to reap its reward. The male social reformers raised the bogey of religion and asked the British not to meddle with their religion as it did not allow women to share space with men. Similarly, their concept of nationalism was fraught with downright anti-women attitudes.
Similarly, Ras Sunderi Devi’s autobiography, “Amar Jeevan”, 1876 (My life) is a poignant retelling of the horror faced by the women during harrowing years of early nineteenth century. This is the depiction of a woman who, according to Singh, did not allow patriarchy to get better of her and Devi did well to zero in on long brewing resentments. It is the first detailed autobiography authored by a woman belonging to the elite class who got herself educated to share all the ugly and occasional wonderful things life had to offer.
Slice of humour
In her scintillating prose, Namita Singh gives added layers and nuances to central question “what womanhood is all about?” so as to incorporate a whole gamut of issues with a slice of uproarious satire. The author referred to Savitri Bai Phule, Pandita Ramabai, Kripa Bai, Satinandan, Rajendra Bala Ghosh, Ruqaiya Hussain, Lalitambika and Antjamam who harboured new female sensibility by creating new cultural and literary idioms and the significance of their efforts is rooted in dialogue and dissent they frequently produced.
Mahadevi Verma, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Rasheed Jahan and Ismat Jahan’s creative dexterity is highlighted in the backdrop of their attitude towards women empowerment. Bravery, courage, determination, commitment and toughness are not gender specific traits but for patriarchy these are what constitute man. Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s famous tagline “ Khoob Ladi Mardani Woh To Jhansi Wali Rani Thi ” is the voice of patriarchy. Rani Jhansi fought gallantly because of her manliness subverts the basic assumption of “feminism” and here the Stockholm Syndrome lurks behind. Namita Singh poses no question here.
The author also deflates the myth that “woman is the biggest enemy of woman”. People usually blame mother-in-law and sister-in-law for the atrocities but it is not the men who oppose the men. We see extreme hostility between brothers and son and father. It is too simplistic to put blame on women for exploiting and subjugating the other women. Male chauvinism still dominates society and one has to resist it also, Namita evocatively exhorts. Gender equality and women empowerment hardly go beyond rhetoric but Namita Singh’s book offers serious and perceptive contemplation of the issue and that too with a novelist’s eye that is filled with hope.
