Women’s Liberation
When the society in India was controlled by the caste hierarchy, the mighty people among the upper castes ruled the land. There was no consideration for the poor and those who have been affected by chronic diseases, even though they belonged to the upper classes. Poverty and disease were viewed as the result of the sins committed during previous births (karma). Widows were not accepted by the society. Women always enjoyed an inferior status.
The prevalent social customs justified un-touchability, oppression of women and any means needed to retain the social hierarchy which is supremacy of Brahmins. Sati was a practice in which a widow was burnt alive along with the corpse of her husband while he is cremated. The practice is believed to have been instituted to prevent the widow from claiming the property of her husband. It was widely prevalent in major parts of the country. These inhuman atrocities against women shook the conscience of William Carey who raised his voice against this practice and created a debate among the intellectuals in India. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, who was already shattered by young adolescent experience of his sister-in-law being thrown into the funeral pyre of her husband, became a strong advocate for abolition of Sati under the influence of William Carey. It was outlawed in 1829 by William Bentick the British Viceroy of India.
Widow re-marriage was the issue that cropped up naturally. As the widows were allowed to live by law, this should have been addressed. The widows lived a secluded life tied within the bounds of their house. Often, they were ridiculed as the reason for their husband’s death. In their old age, they were left in holy places like Kashi to die. There, they had to beg for their food. Their life was as good as death. The missionaries started to encourage widow re-marriage. Hindu intellectuals like Ishwar Chndra Vidyasagar took up this issue, and soon it became a social movement by the second half of the nineteenth century.
Child marriage was another social issue that ate away India. Many little girls were married off to aged men, who already had many wives. These girls often became widows even before they attained puberty. The Christian missionaries engaged in active propaganda to put an end to this evil practice. Many laws were enacted prohibiting child marriage. With the legalisation of widow re-marriage, the position of women in India became somewhat better.
Pandit Rama Bai was a Hindu Brahmin woman born to a Chitpawan Brahmin couple near Karkal, in South Karnataka State in 1858. She converted herself to Christianity and started “Pandit Rama Bai Mukti Mission” that took care of widows and many among them were children and young women. This mission helped women physically, mentally and spiritually. Ramabai also started a school for women and girls in Bombay in 1889. She pleaded with the British government to train lady doctors who would attend to the medical needs of women. She also started a hospital for women. Educating them, empowering them with skills, and thus providing economic freedom to live with dignity.
Another evil practice against women was “devadasi” tradition. Girls, especially young girls were dedicated to temple – literally meaning they were married to deity. These young girls were sexually exploited by priests and prominent men of the area. So, they become sex slaves for the community. Amy Carmichael was a missionary who was appalled by this evil practice. She started protecting such girls by adopting them and caring for them. There was severe opposition to her work; often false cases were filed against her but she fought courageously to deliver those girls and give them a life of dignity. Rescue home for prostitutes were also started by missionaries to rehabilitate women who were forced into this sinful profession.
Another innovation is the beginning of cottage industries for women. That provided opportunity for women to use their extra time at home to be involved in productive work and add income to the family. The economic independence gave women dignity and helped them to bring up their children better.
The practice of wearing upper cloth by the Nadar women of Kerala was a social revolution. The missionaries stood with the oppressed community throughout the agitation. It was the first social reform movement in India and the first initiative for women’s liberation.