IJELL-International Journal of English Language and ...

The English Research Express

ISSN: 2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

IJELL-International Journal of English Language and Literature

Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal run by Dr. JK Research Foundation, Chennai, India

Volume: 4th & Issue: 13th (January –March’2016) PP: 35-46 Date: 25-03-2016

MARGINALIZE OF WOMEN CUSTOMIZED AS ARCHAIC Mrs. A. Pavani* and Miss. Sabia** Authors’ Particulars: Mrs. A. Pavani*, M. A., M. Phil., M. B. A. (Ph. D.), Assistant Professor, KL University, Vaddeswaram, Guntur – 522502, Andhra Pradesh, India. E-Mail: [email protected] Mobile: 0091 9700255344 Miss. Sabia**, Assistant Professor, KL University, Vaddeswaram, Guntur – 522502, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Miss. Sabia** has pursued her Post Graduation and M. Phil. from Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur. She has 10 years of experience in teaching. At present she has been giving her services as Assistant Professor at K L University, Vaddeswaram, Guntur. She is doing her Ph. D. on the works of Ruskin Bond. So far she has published six articles in both National and International journals and attended five National and International seminars.

Available in on line at www.issnjournals.com Copyright @ 2016 Dr. JK Research Foundation, Chennai, India. All rights reserved. Title of the Paper: MARGINALIZE OF WOMEN CUSTOMIZED AS ARCHAIC Authors: Mrs. A. Pavani* and Miss. Sabia**/ Pages: 35-46 / Date of Publication: 25/03/2016

Page

Authors’ Introduction: Mrs. A. Pavani* has pursued her Post Graduation and M. Phil. from Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur. She also did her PGCTE & PGDTE from English & Foreign Language University, Hyderabad. So far she has 13 years of experience in teaching. At present she has been giving her services as Assistant Professor at K L University, Vaddeswaram, Guntur. She is doing her Ph. D. on the works of Chetan Bhagat. So far she has published ten articles in both National and International journals and attended twelve National and International seminars.

35

E-Mail: [email protected] Mobile: 0091 7036366462




Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal run by Dr. JK Research Foundation, Chennai, India Abstract:

gravitational pull of tradition which binds

T

he concept of women empowerment not only focuses on giving women strength and skills to rise above from their miserable situation but at the same time it also stresses on the need to educate men regarding women issues and inculcating a sense of respect and duty towards women as equals. In the present write-up I try to describe and understand the concept of Women Empowerment which is productive in India in all its dimensions.

in its invisible threads even those men and women who are modern, educated and financially independent. “You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status

of

its

women”

– Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Keywords: women empowerment, women strength, women issues etc.

Contemporary Indian Feminist Writers:

T

Introduction: study

of

human

relationships reiterate the fact

that

human Shashi

Novels

of

contemporary

the Indian

feminist writers such as

Deshpande,

Githa

Hariharan,

but dynamic: it keeps on changing in

Meena Alexander, Manju Kapur and

response to changing circumstances and it

Arundhati Roy and it has left indelible

may become unconditional or demanding

print in the Mind of readers. Mistry,

after a length of time depending on

Bharati

Mukherjee,

circumstances. Studies in psychology,

Jhumpa

Lahiri,

sociology and anthropology underline the

Vassanji, Shyam Selvadurai, Meera Sayal,

facts that human beings are fundamentally

Kiran

social creatures; they depend on one

Divakaruni. Shashi Deshpande, point out

another for survival and well-being; they

that the ideal man-woman relationship in

have a powerful need for love, friendship

the Indian context is so prominent that

and

of

even the most brilliant and so called

disapproval, rejection and loneliness; and

forward male is incapable of looking at

they have a tendency to understand,

woman in terms of equality and the

influence

their

modern and progressive women, even after

36

relationship is not static

the

environment, but their nature and behavior

resisting the social taboos, want to submit

Page

T

he

he image of Woman in

is unpredictable in isolation as well as in

themselves to the traditional roles. We are

group.

civilized

belonging;

they

and

The

are

afraid

manipulate

problems

in

human

relationships arise mostly because of the

Desai

Amitav

Anita

and

because

Desai,

Chitra

of

Ghosh,

our

M.G.

Banerjee

reciprocal

relationship with each other. As human






beings have developed through mutation

Moreover, they present a marked

of cells, humanity has developed through

change

human

relationships

relationships

relationships

have

and

human

to

traditional

human

modern

human

through

relationships. The protagonists in these

emotions and holy sentiments like love,

novels, who belong to the middle class-the

fellow-feeling, sympathy, empathy, and so

class which ever aspires to reach the zenith

on. Women who are supremely emotional

and is always afraid of falling into the

beings

abyss and which consigns its members to

breathe

developed

from

relationships

which

encompass their entire life.

eternal struggle-have to struggle against

Shashi Deshpande’s novels deal

the forces of tradition and modernity. Deshpande’s

with human relationships operating in

novels

present

modern Indian context with its well

various aspects of women’s lives and their

established

and

roles as daughters, wives and mothers but

eternal moral and ethical values. They are

she is mainly interested in the lives of

also concerned with the changing context

modern Indian women who have come out

bringing

in the open raising their voice and forming

socio-cultural

moral

and

psychic

dilemmas and challenges in achieving a

a

new harmony in human relationships with

protagonists, who play a pivotal role in

the people of preceding and succeeding

human relationships portrayed in these

generations with different surroundings

novels, are not only from the middle class

and

Obviously,

society but also in the middle of their life.

Deshpande’s woman-centric novels hold

They are roughly between the age of thirty

special significance in this respect. Though

and thirty-five. Most of them are married

her primary concern is human beings, her

women in search of some kind of freedom,

novels tend to give an indication that a

self-identity, economic independence and

woman

different

individual autonomy, even though they do

relationships better than a man can.

not always succeed. Being adults, their

However, she only tries to highlight

relationships mainly concern the partner,

women’s potential in a state of freedom

spouse, lover and husband whoever it may

37

its

and equality and never seeks to idealize

be. Presenting these women as wives

Page

in

norms

them.

seems to be the dominant concern of the

environments.

can

maintain

community.

Deshpande’s

female

novelist but almost all the protagonists like Sarita, Devyani, Indu, Jaya, Urmila, Sumi, Available in on line at www.issnjournals.com Copyright @ 2016 Dr. JK Research Foundation, Chennai, India. All rights reserved. Title of the Paper: MARGINALIZE OF WOMEN CUSTOMIZED AS ARCHAIC Authors: Mrs. A. Pavani* and Miss. Sabia**/ Pages: 35-46 / Date of Publication: 25/03/2016





Madhu, Manjari and Devi turn to their past

realistically projects the image of the

at some critical moments to reflect on their

upper-class woman in contemporary India.

relationships

parents,

She portrays a variety of women from the

grandparents, siblings, cousins, friends and

traditional, subjugated and marginalized to

neighbors and redefine their relationships

the

in the changed context. In this way the

women. The novels Sultry Days (1994)

novelist extends the scope of human

and

relationships and gives due importance to

emancipation of women and project the

the role of other characters, male or

ultra-modern

female. Shashi Deshpande differs from her

people.Women writers mostly presented a

contemporaries in ending her novels.

narrow canvas of themes like domestic

All her novels except a matter of time, moving on and in the country of deceit,

end

with

the

possibility

of

conciliation and retreat to home, family and spouse and the message is that solution of problems lies in acceptance of life, not in its rejection. However, those seemingly reconciliatory endings accept the fact of human imperfectability and dislocate both men and women from idolized mythical positions. The retreat is not because of the patriarchal trap, sociocultural

conditioning,

matrimonial

bondage, etc. but because of self realization

and

feeling

of

necessity

following a change in outlook. The

other

well

extremely modern

Snapshots

(1995)

life-style

and

liberated

present

of

the

neo-rich

issues, experiences of in - law’s place, difficulties in adjustment in post and pre – marital status, sexual harassment at work place, dejection and so on. With the advent of feminism, the image of women in fiction did undergone a sea change – from traditional self - sacrificing women to characters searching for identity, talking about personal as well as professional life, and defying male dominance. This shift can also be seen in the works of the most prominent Indian women writers, to name a few, Anita Desai,

Shashi

Hariharan,

Meena

Deshpande,

Githa

Alexander,

Manju

Kapur and Arundhati Roy and it has left indelible print in the Mind of readers.

known

Mistry,

Bharatim

Mukherjee,

Amitav

contemporary feminist writer is Shobha

Ghosh, Jhumpa Lahiri, Anita Desai, M.G.

De. She is one of the most popular Indian

Vassanji, Shyam Selvadurai, Meera Sayal,

Woman writers in English. Most of her

Kiran

books

Divakaruni, who observe social realities,

are

the

best

sellers

as

she

Desai

and

Chitra


Banerjee

38

their

Page

with





longings and emotions of The "dislocated"

are Anita Desai, Nayantra Sahgal, Shobha

lot. The women characters under study In

De, Jhumpa Lahiri, Bharati Mukherjee,

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Arranged

Shashi

Marriage are Either living abroad or

Shashi Tharoor and Chitra Banerjee

happen to be visiting their homeland; they

Divakaruni. These women writers have

are no doubt conditioned by the Indian

examined a variety of themes in their

Upbringing but have risen above the

novels such as close friendships, strong

traditional constraints. They seem to be

emotional and spiritual bonds among

rational but they still carry inside them

sisters,

their traditional beliefs. They are torn

psychologically

between old and new values.

relationships

These characters, like Women characters of the other contemporary writers, question the nature of their lives, and

their

roles

as

mothers,

wives,

daughters and professionals. To name a few, the character of Devi in Githa Hariharan's The Thousand Faces of Night ,Virmati in Manju Kapur's

Difficult

Daughters , Nisha in Home , by the same

and

daughters,

Vikram

intense

Chandra,

nurturing

and

co-dependent between

women’s

mothers

and

oppression

and

assertion of self. If the full import of writers such as Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is depiction of woman’s problem is to be appreciated, then this difference has to be recognized with regard to the women’s empowerment with reference to her twin novels namely Sister of My Heart and its sequel, The Vine of Desire.

Divakaruni

The protagonists of both the novels

focuses on the Diasporic Indian women

Sister of My Heart and The Vine of Desire

who find themselves in an in – between

are Anju (Anjali) and Sudha (Basudha).

state, struggling to identify. Their journey

Both the novels deal with these two

of immigration is followed by journey into

characters right from their birth till they

settlement and culminates with their

get married. Anju and Sudha though

journey into self.

distant cousins, regard one another as

forward

for

their

originality

and

individuality. Some of the great women writers of the new generation who deserve a place of high respect for women’s issues

sisters of their hearts since they were born on the same day, brought up in the same

39

Women writers in India are moving

house by their mothers and aunt and are

Page

author. Chitra Banerjee

Deshpande,

linked by an almost mystical bond of love. They lost their fathers in a fool hardy ruby-hunting expedition. The girls (Anju






and Sudha) contrast each other in many



Women’s right to have the power

aspects like beauty, ambition, attitude

to regulate and control their own

towards life, nature and their background.

lives, within and outside the

Inspite of all these differences they love

home; and

each other dearly. The girls did everything



Women’s ability to contribute in

together and loved one another fiercely

creating a more just social and

demanding to be known not just as sisters

economic order.

but as twins, not just because they were born on the same day but because their love was unique. The love they bore each

All the above components have been observed in some of the feminist writings which are a witness to my argument.

other was something special.

Moreover, if we have the steady change in

Therefore

through

the

above

the position of women can be highlighted by

contemporary writings of some of the

looking at what has been achieved by women

feminists it is very clear that the women

in the country:

are being given priority as well as coming out to prove their identity. Hence, my



1848: Savitribai Phule, along with

paper says that the Marginalize of

her husband Jyotirao Phule, opened

Women customized as Archaic is true. I

a school for girls in Pune, India.

would like to justify my points through

Savitribai Phule became the first

some of the political terms too along

woman teacher in India.

with the literary aspects.



1879:

John

Elliot

Drinkwater

Bethune established the Bethune According to the United Nations,

School in 1849, which developed

women’s empowerment mainly has five

into the Bethune College in 1879,

components:

thus becoming the first women's college in India. 

self-worth; 

Kadambini Ganguly became the

Women’s right to have and to

first female graduates of India and

determine their choices; 

Women’s right to have access to equal opportunities and all kinds

1883: Chandramukhi Basu and

the British Empire. 

1886: Kadambini Ganguly and Anandi Gopal Joshi became the

of resources;


40

Generating women’s sense of

Page







trained in Western medicine.

governor.

1898: Sister Nivedita Girls' School

Airways becomes the first Indian

1905: Suzanne RD Tata becomes

woman commercial pilot. 

SNDT Women's University, was

Nations General Assembly 

1959: Anna Chandy becomes the

1917: Annie Besant became the

first Indian woman judge of a High

first female president of the Indian

Court (Kerala High Court)[44] 

1963: Sucheta Kriplani became the

1919: For her distinguished social

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh,

service, Pandita Ramabai became

the first woman to hold that

the first Indian woman to be

position in any Indian state. 

1966: Captain Durga Banerjee

by the British Raj.

becomes the first Indian woman

1925: Sarojini Naidu became the

pilot of the state airline, Indian

first Indian born female president

Airlines.

of the Indian National Congress.



1966: Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay

1927: The All India Women's

wins Ramon Magsaysay award for

Conference was founded.

community leadership.

1944: Asima Chatterjee became the



1966: Indira Gandhi becomes the

first Indian woman to be conferred

first woman Prime Minister of

the Doctorate of Science by an

India 

Indian university. 

1954: Ramakrishna Sarada Mission was formed for women monks.



awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal



Pandit

Indian) president of the United

National Congress.



Lakshmi

1916: The first women's university,

Karve with just five students.



Vijaya

became the first woman (and first

social reformer Dhondo Keshav



1953:

car.[43]

founded on 2 June 1916 by the



1951: Prem Mathur of the Deccan

was inaugurated

the first Indian woman to drive a 



1947:

On

15

August

1947,

following independence, Sarojini

1970: Kamaljit Sandhu becomes the first Indian woman to win a Gold in the Asian Games

Naidu became the governor of the United Provinces, and in the


41



process became India's first woman

Page



first women from India to be




Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal run by Dr. JK Research Foundation, Chennai, India 

1972: Kiran Bedi becomes the first

assures justice, social, economic and

female recruit to join the Indian

political; equality of status and opportunity

[45]



Police Service.

and dignity to the individual. Thus it treats

1979: Mother Teresa wins the

both men and women equal.

Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first Indian female citizen to do so. 

Fundamental Rights:

1984: On 23 May, Bachendri Pal

T

became the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest. 

1986: Surekha Yadav became the first woman loco-pilot, railway driver, for India and Asia.



enshrined



empowerment entrenched

women is

in

Fundamental our

well the Rights

Constitution.

For

1992: Priya Jhingan becomes the

Army (later commissioned on 6





March 1993) On

31

Article 15(1) specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.

[47]

1999:

Article 14 ensures to women the right to equality.

first lady cadet to join the Indian

Article 15(3) empowers the State to take affirmative actions in favour

October,

Sonia

Gandhi became the first female 

of

1989: Justice M. Fathima Beevi the Supreme Court of India.[46]



policy

instance:

becomes the first woman judge of 

in

he

of women. 

Article 16 provides for equality of

Leader of the Opposition (India).

opportunity for all citizens in

2007: On 25 July, Pratibha Patil

matters relating to employment or

became the first female President

appointment to any office.

of India. 2009: On 4 June, Meira Kumar

Specific

became the first female Speaker of

Empowerment in India:

Preamble:

T

he

Preamble

Constitution

to of

the India

H

for

Women

ere is the list of some which

42

Lok Sabha.

Laws

were enacted by the

Page



specific

laws

Parliament in order to

fulfil Constitutional obligation of women empowerment:





Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal run by Dr. JK Research Foundation, Chennai, India 

The

Equal

Remuneration

Act,

5. First Indian Woman To Receive

1976.

Norman

Borlaug



The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.

Amrita Patel



The Immoral Traffic (Prevention)

International



The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961.

Award



The

termination

of

Pregnancy Act, 1971. 

The

Commission

of

Sati

The Prohibition of Child Marriage

The Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal

and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994.

Bhagyasri Thipse

Anna George

Olympic Games Sini Abraham

Pratibha Devisingh Patil 10. First Woman Governor Of State In India Mrs. Sarojini Naidu 11. First Woman Prime Minister Of

The Sexual Harassment of Women at

Chess

9. First Woman President Of India

Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation



In

8. First Indian Woman T Reach In

Act, 2006. 

Grandmaster

7. First Indian Woman Ias Officer

(Prevention) Act, 1987. 

Dr.

6. First Indian Woman To Get

Act, 1956.

Medical

Award

Work

Place

(Prevention,

Protection and) Act, 2013.

India Mrs. Indira Gandhi 12. First Indian Woman To Swim Across English Channel Mrs. Aarti Saha

The list of First Indian Women in India

13. First Indian Woman To Swim

1. First Indian Woman To Receive Lenin Peace Award Aruna Asaf

Across Strait Of Gibraltar Aarti Pradhan 14. First Muslim Woman To Sit On

Ali 2. First Woman Vice-Chairperson Of Rajyasabha Violet Alva In

15. First

Woman

President

Of

Indian National Congress Annie

16. The First Woman Chief Minister

India Anna Chandi Woman

Besant

President

Of

Of

An

Indian

State

Students Union Anju Sachdeva Of

Mrs. Sucheta Kriplani ( Uttar

Delhi University

Pradesh)


43

3. First Woman Session Judge In

Page

1962

4. First

Throne Of Delhi Razia Sultan





17. First Woman Central Minister Of India Rajkumari Amrit Kaur 18. First Indian Woman To Climb The Mount Everest Bachhendri Pal

32. First Woman To Receive Ashok Chakra Niraja Bhanot 33. First Woman IPS Officer Mrs. Kiran Bedi 34. First Woman Doordarshan News

19. First Woman Airline Pilot Cap Durba Bannerjee

35. First

20. First Woman Ambassador Mrs. Vijay Lakshmi Pandit

Everest Twice Santosh Yadav 22. First Woman Judge Of Supreme Court Meera Sahib Fatima Biwi 23. First Woman Chief Justice Of High Court Mrs. Leela Seth 24. First Indian Woman Pilot In Air

Force

Haritakaur

Dayal

P. Bandhopadhyaya

Print

Experts In India Sita Varthambal

Sisters) 36. First Indian Woman To Go In Space Kalpana Chawla 37. First Actress In The Indian Cinema Devika Rani 38. First Indian Woman To Become Miss World Reita Faria 39. First Woman Speaker Of The

Lieutenant

41. First Indian Test Tube Baby

27. First Woman Chairman Of Upsc Rose Millian Mathew

Harsha (1986) 42. First Woman Chairperson Of

Indian Airlines Sushma Chawla Receive

Jnanpeeth Award Asha Purna Devi

National Woman Commission Mrs. Jayanti Patnayak 43. First Woman Chairman Of Exim Bank Tarzani Vakil 44. First Woman To Get Arjun

30. First Woman To Receive Bharat Ratna Mrs. Indira Gandhi 31. First Indian Woman To Receive

AwardN. Lumsden (1961) 45. First Woman To Win Miss Universe Title Sushmita Sen

Nobel Prize Mother Teresa


44

28. First Woman Chairperson Of

To

Sandhu

Page

Woman

Woman

40. First Indian Woman To Receive An Asiad Gold Medal Kamalji

General Puneeta Arora

29. First

Finger

State Assembly Mrs. Shano Devi

25. First Woman Air Vice Marshal

26. First

Woman

And Bhrangathambal ( Both Were

21. First Woman To Climb Mount

Indian

Reader Pratima Puri





46. First Indian Woman President

60. First Woman Indian Railway

Of Uno General Assembly ?Vijay Lakshmi Pandit

Driver Surekha Shankar Yadav 61. The

47. First Indian Woman Barrister

Woman

Diana Eduljee

48. First Indian Woman Advocate

62. First Indian Woman To Get

Regina Guha

Magsaysay Award Kiran Bedi

49. First Chief Justce Of Mumbai

63. First Woman Secretary General

High Court Justice Sujaata B Manohar Woman

To

Win

Wta

Of Rajya SabhaV. S. Rama Devi Conclusion & Findings:

T

Tennis Tournament Sania Mirza 51. First

Indian

Cricketer To Get 100 Wickets

Cornotia Sorabji

50. First

First

Woman

President

Of

Indian Science Congress Dr. Ashima Chatterjee

hrough

the

above

argument I would like to conclude by saying that With

the

advent

of

Of

feminism, the image of women in fiction

Reserve Bank Of India? K. J.

did undergone a sea change – from

Udesi

traditional self -

52. First

Deputy

Governor

53. First Woman Sahitya Award

54. First Woman Commercial Pilot Prem Mathur Of Deccan Airways 55. First Woman Foreign Minister

life, and defying male dominance. Hence, it is the high time to retain the liberty to enhance the progress of the country.

Lakshmi N Menon Indian

characters searching for identity, talking about personal as well as professional

Winner Amrita Pritam

56. First

sacrificing women to

Woman

At

References:

Antarctica Meher Moos In 1976 4

K. Tresia Nanguli 58. First

Indian

www.ijird.com February, 2015Vol

Woman

Issue

2

JOURNAL

To

INTERNATIONAL OF

INNOVATIVE

Complete Her Mbbs Kadambini

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Ganguli Bose In 1888

Page 153

59. First

Indian

Paratrooper

Indian Air Force Nita Ghose

Of



www.ijird.comFebruary, 2015Vol 4

Issue

2INTERNATIONAL


45



Page

57. First Woman Chief Engineer P.





JOURNAL

OF

INNOVATIVE

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Page 154 

International Journal of Research in all Subjects in Multi Languages [Author: Minal J. Damor] [Subject: English] Vol. 3, Issue:6,June : 2015 www.raijmr.com RET Academy for

International

Multidisciplinary

Journals

of

Research

(RAIJMR) Portrayal of Women in Chitra

Banerjee

Divakaruni’s

Arranged Marriage MINAL J. DAMOR

Ph.D.

Scholar,

Hemchandracharya North Gujarat

46

University.

Page


