GOLDEN VISION FOR INDIA AT 100 IN 2047: EMPOWERED INDIAN WOMEN Dr. Anupma Sinha
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Banaras Hindu University 1 INTRODUCTION
Hundred years are not even a ripple in the flow of human history, but to a generation, it means a long drawn out years of hope, dispair, retreat, advance, gains, and pains. Year 2047 is not a watershed in history, but it signifies the end of a century of the independent India and the beginning of a new one which is pregnant with hope of changes that may be positive or negative, cataclysmic or otherwise. Hence, we need a vision for India that is befitting for future of India at the attainment of century of independence at 2047. We are at the threshold of celebrating centenary of India's independence and sovereignty. Dependence and captivity misery and independence and freedom a bliss.
Before us, our freedom fighters also envisioned beautiful independent India.
Gurudeva Rabindra Nath Tagore envisioned India and wrote - Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high where knowledge is free where the world has not
been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving
Stretches its arm towards perfection
where clear streams of reason has not lost its way.
Into the dreary desert and sand of dead habit- Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my father Let my country awake.
Mahatma Gandhi, envisioned independent India as Ram-Rajya. He envisaged a society in which virtue, morality and justice are core ideals around which day to day interaction between citizen and state and citizen occur. Based on Principle of equal rights to both prince and pauper. His mission that "it is the vision that makes the man" was to ensure sustainable human development which encourages self reliance and self content in society.
India's struggle for freedom is one such instance in history where women had stepped out of their regular roles as home maker, mother and wives to shoulder the responsibility of sculpting the concept of a new nation amidst the conflict between people and the colonial state. They stood shoulder to shoulder with their men-folk, to rally the masses to the cause, face-bullets, and picket shops.
Gandhiji was one of the foremost proponent of women empowerment. He envisioned India where girls are educated, widows remarried, and purdah abolished and women are drawn out of confinement of home and hearth and are in the mainstream.
Thus, the new born nation of India moved towards the need of empowering its women in a just society. The constitution of independent India gives them equal rights to all aspects of defining a quality of life. Yet after 75 years of independence, women are still to achieve complete empowerment, gender equality and dignity which they rightly deserve.
1.1 Statement of Objective
Recognising the importance to vision of India at 100 in 2047 the present study tries to envision a dream for India befitting at the centenary of it's independence, to have it's
women population to be completely empowered. They would be empowered enough to think freely, critically and rationally. Where there is no sexist or misogynist approach. Where there is gender equality and each person lives with dignity women who must acquire empowerment them selves rather than have it given to them externally.
2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Shoma Sen (Aug 97) in Fifty years of Shattered Dreams Battered Lives, Story of Indian Women 1947-1997 in Stree Chetana examined from various aspects how much Indian women have been betrayed and to what extent they have achieved empowerment in fifty years of independence.
Gupta, Shweta (Aug 23, 2018) in article titled "The Status of Women in India After 71 years of Independence" in Aaj ki Naari has evaluated in depth the change in status of Indian women from various perspectives eg. education, cultural change, participation in work, emergence of single parenthood for women, women empowerment, marriage etc.
Dr. Saba Yunus, and Dr. Seema Varma (2015) in article "Legal provisions for women empowerment in India" in International Journal of Humanities and Management have discussed the important legal provision for Women Empowerment in India.
Dr. Shalu Nigam (2017) in article "Of Celebrating India's 100th Independence Day after 30 years." in SSRN examines how far the condition of Indian Women have improved in last seventy years of independence.
Purushottam Nayak and Bidisha Mahanta (2009) in article "Women Empowerment in India" in Research Gate SSRN Electronic Journal conclude that access to education and employment are only the enabling factors to empowerment, achievement towards the goals, depend largely on attitude of people towards gender equality.
Taking forward the vision of Gandhiji and to realise the vision of New India, to make our country more thriving and prosperous, our action as per Gandhiji vision has to be guided by the desire to uplift every one for the welfare of the nation. In this direction the Indian government with NITI Aayog is striving hard that can be summarized in ten points.
(1) "Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwaas," (2) Clean India, (3) Healthy India, (4) A Capable India; (5) a prosperous India, (6) Our Women should be empowered; (7) Good governance, (8) Swaraj gram, (9) Sustainable farming and finally (10) A secure India.
Focusing on women empowerment named as Sashakt Naari the old adage the govt.
of India envision "Yatra Naryastu Poojayente, Ramante Tatra Devataha" (Where women are worshipped, there goods reside) Shiva is inert unlil 'Shakti' is with him. We must make our country as non-discriminatory in terms of gender as possible.
2.1 Government of India Initiatives for Vision 2047
The centre has begun work on a blue print for India @ 2047 a vision plan for a "Future Ready India" that befits the 100th years of Independence. Presently Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (12.3.21 to 15.8.23), an initiative of Government of India to Commemorate 75 years of progressive India and glorious history of its people, culture and achievements. It envisions of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of "Atma Nirbhar Bharat" proclaiming the remaining period of 25 years as 'Amrit Kaal', In accordance one of the broad mandate of the ministry of women & child development is to work towards ensuring holistic development of women and children and hosts a set of activities and events aligning with larger vision of Amrit Mahotsav and focuses on Health and Wellbeing, women empowerment, gender sensitization etc. It recognizes that women and children are key contributors to creating Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The programmes to promote well being of women focuses on encouraging various aspects of women empowerment for women of different levels based on enlighting women to solve various issues related to themselves efficiently and independently.
3 INDIA AS SIGNATORY TO U.N. SUSTAINABE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Further, India being a signatory, to 17 sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 agenda of UN in September 2015 in which women empowerment and gender equality is integral crosscutting all 17 SDG. Empowering women is regarded as the pre-condition to achieving all the SDGs at the core of 2030 Agenda. It is both objective and part of solution.
Women and girls are crucial contributors and beneficiaries of Sustainable Development Goals therefore their empowerment and achievement of Goal-5 of SDG is fundamental for achieving all SDGs successfully. Women empowerment is both the process and consequence of sustainable development of any society.
4 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: THE IMPORTANCE AND THE GROUND REALITY
Empowerment involves process of challenging existing power relation and gaining equal control over source of power. Women constitute approximately half of the population. They have been forced to live as secondary status. They live a marginalised life of subjugation and subordination limiting themselves to patriarchal notion of confining themselves to home and hearth. Through centuries women have been made to suffer many repugnant social practices, low access to education and literacy, less ingress to occupation, less economic independence, less decision making power, poor health condition, and consequently more dependence on males. They suffer multidimensional inequalities. Living in the 21st century post modern world, based on ideology of egalitarianism but we are still carrying the burden of traditional divided society. This gender as binary division, and feminity is a social construct. (Marry Wollstonecraft's vindication of the Rights of Woman 1972). According to Simon de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex" speaks of women's opression in society and history. There is fundamental a symmentry in man woman dyad and there is not only women invisibility but society is guilty of making gender as a whole invisible. The discriminatory and insensitive attitude has not changed much over period of time.
Dipankar Gupta also analyses Hindu marriage pattern and on arranged marriage pattern in modern India which is based on notion of male dominance, inequality and patriarchy.
5 THE LEGAL PROVISIONS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Various legal provisions for safety and women empowerment and equality in India eg. the Dowry Prohibition Act (1961), SITA (1956) Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention Prohibition and Redressal Act) 2013, Family Courts Act 1954, Special Marriage Act 1954, Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill 2010, The Maternity Benefit Act 1961 (Amended in 1995), Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act Equal Remuneration Act 1976.
Reservation of Women in Local Self Government Convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1993. Despite of these legal provision, however, there is still wide gap, between goals, legislation, policies and plans and programmes do not benefits women citizen.
Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, Plans and programmes have aimed at women's advancement in different spheres. From the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) onwards has been a marked shift in the approach to women's issues from welfare to development. In recent years, the empowerment of women has been recognized as the central issues in determining the status of women. The National Commission for Women was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1990 to safeguard the rights and legal entitlements of women. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitution of India have provided for reservation of seats in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels.
India has also ratified various international conventions and human rights instruments committing to secure equal rights of women. Key among them is the ratification of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1993.
The women's movement and a wide-spread network of non-government organisations which have strong grassroots presence and deep insight into women's concenrs have contributed in inspiring initiatives for the empowerment of women.
However, there still exists a wide gap between the goals enunciated in the Constitution, legislation, policies, plans, programmes, and related mechanisms on the one hand and the situational reality of the status of women in India, on the other.
5.1 Analysing other Indicators
Women Status at work place in very bleak, it is either sexual exploitation or hostility yet women are giving priority to job and share family house hold expenses.
The decision making power in house hold is also noticeable now, but not at all the places. The extent of financial autonomy and inheritance right has also improved and there is freedom on women's movement though the safety is still not fool proof Acceptance of unequal gender roles norms has improved considerably but only in urban areas and in few educated family, women need to be given access to paid work equal remuneration for equal work, and increase their visibility, the literacy level has improved though not to 100 percent and their stereotypes projection in mass media as sex object or victims need different perspective. Violence against women including domestic violence need more curb. Justice to women needs more impartiality and not patriachal mind set.
Women's health is a continuous neglect because of ignorance, keeping fast, superstition, shame and smoke from "chul has" and other domestic work. There is no difference in opinion that women are not completely independent in the 75 years of Independent India. Very little impact is there due to the legal provision, numerous plans and policies. It has brought about only negligible benefit to vast majority of toiling women.
Therefore it is imperative to join hands to fight for bringing radical change to create a genuinely democratic India and bring about liberation and equality for women.
In India, where religious myths and traditional attitudes define virtues and vices (relative to interpretation), and these in turn condition popular imagination to form the social culture, the ideal and permissible cultural role of a women becomes a contentious issue that can barely be assessed in uniform terms.
However, a careful observation validates the fact that patriarchy has had an upper hand in general in most traditional norms across the country. In this context, India with its sub-continental geographical expanse and its unique patchwork of regionally diverse cultures becomes a template for a special kind of gendered discrimination.
This discrimination brings together the different oppressive practices from different traditional communities to write out a common low position for women which often go unquestioned due to selective "scripture-based" justification for retaining order in communities. This form of discrimination has over time acquired the status of a norm, permeating the overall cultural attitude towards determining claims of women at multiple levels, besides limits already being imposed on production entitlements owing to the forces of globalisation.
Under the guise of prosperity backed by a steady growth in economic parameters thus, gendered discrimination serves to adversely affect human development of a significant section of the population, rendering them vulnerable to poverty and related security issues.
6 SOME SUGGESTION FOR GOLDEN FUTURE
Patriarchy of all forms should get eliminated from India by 2047, and we envision that females of India are completely "Atmanirbhar". There should be no female foeticide neither any female to go for forced abortion proper maternal care should be given, vision 2047 envision India free of misogyny domestic and other violences faced by women eg. rape, bigamy witch hunting, dowry demands and deaths, or woman brutalised, molested or honour killing. We dream of women free from facing exploitation and hostility at work place or public places. An India of 2047 has no woman or girl child trafficking. In India of 2047 there will be no Mathuras, Bhanvari Devis, Manoramas or innumerable others who fought for justice but couldnot get due to patriarchal norms working against women. No more of Nirbhayas and others. Where women move fearless and secured. An India of 2047 where women have digital literacy, giving them more economic empowerment and awareness and educating them which presently depends on access to internet and digital knowledge. In present scenario it will give them new opportunity in different fields. Helping them in digital
access will give them more safety, saving time and money in commuting and balancing home and work particularly to single mothers.
In 2047 the golden vision that India wakes upto in women emancipation and their harmonious co-existance with men in society. Living with dignity and contribute in development of society at all levels, maintaining their dignity, rights and influence in decision making women empowered with social justice and equality. In other words, women with promoted sense of self worth, their ability determine their own choices, influence social change where they are empowered socially, educationally, economically, politically healthy, psychologically and digitally. Women in 2047 must acquire empowerment themselves rather than have it given to them externally.
The best thermometer to progress of nation is extent of empowerment of its women.
The idea of perfect womanhood is perfect independence. There is no hope of rise for that family or country where there is no estimation of women, where they live in sadness (Swami Vivekanand).
REFERENCES
1. Sen, Shoma (August' 97) "Fifty years of shattered dreams battered lives the story of Indian women (1947- 1997)", Stree Chetana.
2. Gupta, Shweta (Aug. 23, 2018) status of women in India after 71 years of independence in Aaj ki Naari.
3. Yunus, Dr. Saba and Seema Varma (2015) Legal Provisions for Women Empowerment in India in International Journal of Humanities and Management.
4. Nigam, Dr. Shalu (2017), Celebrating India's 100th Independence Day after 30 years in SSRN.
5. Nayak, Purushottam and Bidisha Mahanta (2009), Women Empowerment in India in Research Gate SSRN Electronic Journal.
6. De Beauvoir, Simone (1949), The Second Sex, Translated by H.M. Parshley, Penguin 1972.
7. Wollstonecraft, Mary (1972). Vindication of the Rights of Woman. www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/3735238 8. Gupta, D. (2001) Mistaken Modernity: India between Worlds. India: Haper Collins.
