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Women's Participation In National Movement: Everything You Need To Know!
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Tracing the history of women's participation in national movements is challenging. The absence of women from historical narratives has been observed. Over the past few decades, a continuous effort has been made to close the gaps and include women in the story. Many sources have aided this reconstruction. This includes autobiographies, personal diaries, and other writings by women published in periodicals. To understand the role played by women in the Indian National Movement, one has to rely on these sources. The women's participation in national movement was remarkable, and one of the example is women’s participation in the Swadeshi campaign. They picketed liquor stores, boycotted foreign products, and did not pay taxes. The national movements of India had a sizable proportion of women.
In this article, we will explore the Women's Participation In National Movement. This forms a major part of the UPSC IAS exam, and questions related to this topic are seen in Prelims, UPSC Mains Paper I, as well as in UPSC History Optional. This topic is equally important for the UGC NET History exam, as 5-6 questions are asked every year from the Indian Struggle for Independence.
The Growth Of Feminism In India
The growth of feminism in India was an essential feature of the era. Women's participation followed it in the national movement. Irish women like Margaret Cousins supported the Indian women's quest for representation. The Indian Women's Association was established in 1917 to send a delegation to Edwin Montagu. The group requested that women be given voting rights.
Women's organizations and girls' schools increased nationwide around the start of the 20th century. Women's access to education and their women's participation in national movements are related. Many women were introduced to the nationalist movement for the first time on their way to school.
Let us look at a list of important women's organizations in the table below.
|
Organisation |
Founder |
Year |
|
Ladies Social Conference (Bharat Mahila Parishad) |
Ramabai Ranade |
1904 |
|
Bharat Stree Mahamandal |
Sarla Devi Chaudhurani |
1910 |
|
Arya Mahila Samaj |
Pandita Ramabai |
1882 |
|
National Council of Women in India |
Mehribai Tata |
1925 |
|
All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) |
Margaret Cousins |
1927 |
Rise Of Mahila Samitis And Women's Literature
The early 20th century also saw the birth of many women's organizations in cities and towns. These schools were started by women, as opposed to the girls' schools mentioned before. Something in the air at the time encouraged women to interact with one another. They engaged in activities together and expanded their mental and physical horizons.
Hironmoyee Devi and Sarla Devi founded women's organizations like the Mahila Shilpa Samiti. In 1907, a women's organization called the Hitashini Sabha arranged a display of Swadeshi products. Besides this, women's publications like the Bharat Mahila were also rising to prominence.
Girijabai established her Mahila Sabha in Mangalore. Two years later, Rameshwari Nehru, a relative of Nehru, did the same in Allahabad. The Prayag Mahila Samiti attempted to get Allahabad's women out of their homes and into the political conversation. Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Jawaharlal Nehru's sister, provided a vivid account of one of the Samiti's meetings in 1917.
Let us have a look at essential works of literature by women nationalists in the table below.
|
Book |
Author |
|
Inner Recesses, Outer Spaces |
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya |
|
Stree Darpan |
Rameshwari Nehru |
|
The Golden Threshold |
Sarojini Naidu |
|
A Comparison Between Women and Men |
Tarabai Shinde |
|
The High-Caste Hindu Woman |
Pandita Ramabai |
Women Participation in Khilafat and Non-cooperation Movement
Women's participation in national movements made some significant advancements. The efforts of Bi Amman, the mother of the Ali Brothers, were important in the success of the Khilafat Movement. She was referred to as Bi Amman, which was her preferred name. She went by the name Abadi Bano Begum. She was a strong woman who did not let patriarchy or the pardah stand in her way. She began participating in politics when her sons were jailed because she believed the cause should not suffer. She contributed to women's participation in national movements.
Another significant breakthrough occurred during the Non-Cooperation Movement. The woman came to be sentenced to prison for the first time. Gandhi urged them to turn out in big numbers for the INC session held in Ahmedabad at the end of 1921. In her memoir, "With No Regrets," Krishna Hutheesingh gives us a detailed account of this journey.
The Non-Cooperation Movement reached its peak. Soon, most of its leaders were detained. The women took it upon themselves to maintain the movement. They conducted gatherings, spoke in front of huge crowds, and even entered prison. Women also participated in the Awadh peasant movement. Baba Ramchandra's wife, Jaggi Devi, was a prominent character. Women's participation in national movements is remarkable.
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Women Participation in Civil Disobedience Movement
Gandhi announced that women's participation in national movements was debarred. Women were asked not to take part in the Dandi March. For females like Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, this wasn't very pleasant. She hurried to convince Gandhi to include women in the movement. As a result, the curtain of centuries was ripped apart.
- Women of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds emerged in their hundreds of thousands. They cast free the cultural chains that had bound them for so long. The women's participation in national movement was exceptional. Still, women suffered the consequences, and many of them were jailed.
- Women were picking their husbands now, and some even opted not to get married. A few of them even left husbands with whom they didn't get along. Gender equations were changing. Women's participation in national movements was also coming to the fore. For instance, Jivat Kripalani, a close adherent of Mahatma Gandhi, married Sucheta Majumdar. They had to consider objections from Mahatma Gandhi as well as from their own families.
- Another illustration is Jayaprakash Narayan and Prabhavati. They decided not to have children and spent their lives for the nation.
- Asaf Ali and his wife, Aruna Ganguly, are a third example. Like Sucheta, Aruna chose a man older than her to follow her religion when she got married. Sucheta Kripalani and Aruna Asaf Ali later became significant leaders of the Congress. They could do so because of the freedom these unorthodox marriages provided for women. Mahadevi Varma ended an incompatible marriage and pursued a professional career. She is an example of a woman choosing to forego marriage due to incompatibility.
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Women's Participation In Quit India Movement
Their contributions to the 1942 Quit India Movement were much more crucial. It's interesting how well women understand the nuances of this movement. Women also showed leadership in various ways. They printed pamphlets, disseminated underground literature, and operated a Congress radio.
Together with Vithalbhai Jhaveri and Babubhai Khakar, Usha Mehta, they founded Freedom Radio in Bombay. It ran from September 3 until November 12 of the same year.
Even in the most improbable locations, there were women's processions during the Quit India Movement. There were active girl students at Meerut, several Assam, Sagar and Wardha regions. The women's participation in national movement was astounding.
Women In Revolutionary And Left Movements
The HSRA served as the umbrella organization for revolutionary ideas. It was tough for women to join these revolutionary organizations because they operated secretly and had a hard life. Women, Prakashvati, have stated that the men discouraged women from joining their organization.
- Yet, female revolutionary groups in Bengal organized physical culture clubs. They also read forbidden revolutionary literature covertly. Pritilata Wadedar and Kalpana Dutt who were among other enthusiastic revolutionary women who participated in the Chittagong Armory Raid. They got more actively involved in revolutionary operations. Such women's participation in national movement was commendable.
- The Indian Nationalist Movement saw the rise of a strong Left alternative in the late 1920s. Due to the Communist Party's more radical agenda, many women decided to join. The newly-emerging Soviet Russia was making impressive plans through reforms in agriculture. It even introduced the Five Year Plans.
- Rampur's Hajra Begum indicated she was not drawn to the Gandhian programme. She relocated to England to further her studies and had the chance to travel to the Soviet Union. She claimed that her intellectual affection for Communism became much more.
- The number of women involved in the Left organizations multiplied throughout the 1940s. This includes organizations such as the Progressive Writers' Association. Others contributed to literature, theatre, and music. Some of these women were Rasheed Jahan, Ismat Chugtai, and Rekha Jain.
- In many parts, these cultural expressions were used to mobilize the common classes. This and the women's participation in national movements show how far women had progressed by the 1940s. They were considered the "movers of history."
Conclusion
The Swadeshi Movement catalyzed women's involvement in the Indian Nationalist Movement. Through education, women's organizations, and rising political involvement, women's lives saw significant changes. The women's participation in national movement was a courageous decision. Many women ended up on the streets, in jails, and legislatures. Yet, all this gave them power in many different ways.
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Women's Participation In National Movement FAQs
What motivated women to join the national movement?
The primary techniques of resistance were non-cooperation and non-violence. This motivated women to participate in the movement, and they were even encouraged to do so.
Who was India's first woman to struggle for independence?
One of the earliest female Freedom Fighters in the Indian Independence Movement of 1857 was Rani Lakshmibai.
When did the Indian women's movement begin?
Beginning in 1975, the Indian women's movement worked to promote intersectionality. They brought gender violence to the forefront of public conversation.
Who was India's first female warrior?
Even now, Mata Bhag Kaur's tales are an inspiration. Mai Bhago was a well-known, renowned fighter who commanded 40 Sikh soldiers at the Battle of Muktsar in 1705. She was the daughter of a major landowner in Amritsar.
Who is the 'Mother of Indian Revolution,' according to the legend?
The "Mother of the Indian Revolution" is Madame Cama. She was wed to rich Bombay-based attorney Rustom Cama.