Orissa Review * October - 2009 Relevance of Gandhian Ideas for Human Rights and Empowerment of Women Dr. (Mrs.) Bina Kumari Sarma Gandhian philosophy and his thoughts relating worth and also acknowledge that the key to our womens¶ rights and empowerment are highly national development is empowerment of women. relevant today than what it was during his time Women need to be empowered so that they can i.e., during the pre-independence period. Sixty work and think independently, prove their worth two years have passed since independence, but and genius, cope with oppression and injustice women still continue to suffer from disabilities and and become capable of taking part in public affairs, miseries afflicted on them by viewed in the Indian context centuries old vicious women empowerment is customs and beliefs. They both a social necessity and are still considered as the a constitutional obligation. weaker sex, still face subtle Human Rights include discrimination in almost all rights of both the sexes fields of life; still are denied without any discrimination equal opportunity and on the grounds of sex, race, rights. In fact despite the religion, colour, language, passage of the Universal mortality, birth status etc. Declaration of Human Women¶s rights can also be Rights and the Convention termed as Human Rights for Elimination of for the mere fact that they Discrimination against are also human beings. women, the traditional However, it is a million denigration of women and dollar question whether underestimation of their potentialities, capacities women enjoy human rights and are they and talents still continues. empowered in its true sense ? Twentieth century was hailed as the It is in this context that the ideas and ideals µPeople¶s Century¶ and 2001 was earmarked as of Gandhi is worthwhile to remember and the year for µWomen Empowerment¶. The aim of practice, because he championed the cause of empowerment is to enable women to realize her women¶s rights and empowerment in its totality 1 Orissa Review * October - 2009 through out his life. It was he who first realized out of their restricted domestic boundaries. It was the truth that for the progress of humankind in indeed his first attempt not only to place women this world for a better tomorrow, women is as at par with men but also to empower them. In important for men. In fact Gandhi was well ahead this context he said to Mridula Sarabhai, a of time in his thinking about the worth and prominent woman freedom fighter : ³I have importance of women in family, society and the brought the Indian women out of the kitchen, it is nation in general. He was emphatic on the issue up to you (the women activists) to see that they of equality and empowerment of women as do not go back.´ integral to the founding of a just society as well as Women in India are still at cross-roads. for the progress of the nation and expressed this feeling way back during the late 19th century In spite of government enacting a series of when women were treated as mere chattels. legislations, the trend of crimes against women are in continuous increase. One of the hardest For Gandhi the question of women¶s truth of the most visible sign of this fact is the empowerment was nothing else than a human rights declining sex ratio of girls to boys. Though the issue. And it is a well known fact that he was a concept of non-discrimination is central to all strong advocate of women's rights from the day theories relating to women¶s rights, yet we find he assumed leadership of the nationalist that gender discrimination has become a global movement. His advocacy of women¶s rights was phenomenon and it is visible in every aspect of a step forward from his predecessors who women¶s life. championed the cause of women¶s liberation. No reformer or national leader prior to him had Therefore we have to look back again to expressed so much concern or questioned the Gandhi and value his words and works for fundamental inequality and injustice done to guidance to achieve success in our mission of women in Indian society by denying them basic empowering women. He indeed has indicated the human rights. path to reach the goal in an effective manner. From the very beginning of his political Gandhi held very radical views about the career he worked relentlessly to improve the lot emancipation and empowerment of women. of women socially, politically and economically Regeneration of women was an important aspect and restore them back their genuine rights and of his constructive programme, where women privileges. In his political programme, on priority were accorded special consideration. He had basis he worked for the depressed and the dynamic vision on the various issues and problems deprived and women were the biggest block of relating to women, which has often been reflected this segment. As he believed in the concept of in his numerous writings and speeches. He raised µSarvodaya¶, meaning comprehensive progress his voice against female foeticide, infanticide, child of both men and women, he said "womenhood is marriage, widowhood, sexual harassment of not restricted to the kitchen . only when the women, domestic violence against women, women is liberated from the slavery of kitchen discrimination against girl child, denial of education that her true spirit may be discovered.´ In view to women, dowry system etc. i.e., almost all the of that as a first step towards it, he gave them a touching problems and issues relating to women clarion call during the freedom movement to come of the contemporary world. His experiences and 2 Orissa Review * October - 2009 experiments, his researches and hypotheses while sphere of activity as man is in his.´ Further he analyzing the causes of women¶s degeneration led explained: ³to me the female sex is not the weaker him to conclude that something is radically wrong sex, she is the embodiment of sacrifice, silent with the people both men and women against suffering humility, faith and knowledge´. However which the society should be sensitized and he regretted that her services and contributions changed. He tried to improve the status of women towards his family and society has never been through equal rights and empowerment by creating recognized. In view of this he wanted men to public awareness. At the outset he criticized the realize that the empowerment of women is not a threat but a way to improve families and societies. prejudices and the biases of Indian social structure, Moreover he was very clear in his mindset that particularly men against women. He maintained : the empowerment of women is not only a moral "the point for us to consider is the degeneration imperative but a prerequisite for strengthening of our women relatively to our men and man has democratic tradition and fighting against injustice not always been fair and indiscriminate in and oppression. And for achieving that he insisted performing that self-appointed task´. He was very on equal rights and opportunities to be given to critical in his condemnation of men¶s ill-treatment women. As early as 1919, addressing a women¶s of women and in that context he said : "of all the gathering at Bombay he expressed his feelings: evils for which man has made himself responsible, ³So long as women in India do not take equal none is so degrading, so shocking or so brutal as part with men in the affairs of the world and in his abuse of the better half of the humanity´. religious and political matters, we shall not see Further he said: "by sheer force of a vicious India¶s star rising. Further he explained the point custom, even the most ignorant and worthless men by giving an example: ³Men who suffer from have been enjoying superiority over women, paralysis of one side of the body can do no work. which they do not deserve and ought not to have.´ Similarly if women do not share in men¶s tasks, By such statements he tried to make men realize, the country is sound to remain in a wretched state.´ the crime they have done against women and also All that he wanted was the peaceful co-existence to realize the loss they have done to society as a of man and woman. He wanted changed attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviours in favour result of keeping women inside the four walls of of women at par with men. house and public sphere. Although Indian women got voting rights As he had utmost faith in the inherent along with men, they are yet to get equal talents and capacities of women, he wanted the representation in Parliament and State society to make full use of their potentialities and Legislatures. In this regard way back in 1931 in not just to think them fit only as homemakers. His the Second Round Table Conference in London view of equal rights of woman and his high esteem Gandhi categorically demanding proper of women is evident from the following statement: representation for women had said : ³I would ³woman is the companion of man gifted with equal boycott that legislature which will not have a mental capacities. She has the right to participate proper share to women members´. Gandhi in in the minutest details of the activities of man and fact was a votary of women¶s political rights and she has the same right of freedom and liberty as believed in giving equal representation to women he. She is entitled to a supreme place in her own in politics.