LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 11 : 8 August 2011
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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Presentation of Women in the Gujarati Novel Kadambarini Maa by Dhiruben Patel

Rajesh Basiya, Ph.D.

Women in Indian Tradition

Woman is honoured as goddess among the Hindus in India. She is also respected and worshipped as Shakti (goddess of power) and Laxmi (goddess of wealth). She is considered an idol of love and sacrifice. But she is also exploited in the name of tyagmurti (idol of sacrifice). She takes care of her home as Annapurna (Cooking and providing food to full satisfaction). But many times she has to live a life of a captive in the four walls of her home. She has to suppress her aspirations and desires in the name of maryada or traditions.

Human life has changed from time to time. With the scientific developments and spread of education many things are changed. Even the old traditions and beliefs have to face many alterations. The life style has many incredible modifications. Even as this process of change is continuous, some of the age-old traditions and conventions continue to have intense impact on the mindset of people.

Patriarchy is still a tradition in rural India. There is an equal contribution of men and women in society. Both are inevitable wheels to run the chariot of life. But man has not yet completely freed himself from some age-old concepts of superiority. Man takes a woman as a useful addition to his life, an object of enjoyment and a possession – upabhoga. He has all freedom in life. He decides everything about social, economic, and other aspects of life. Simone de Beauvoir’s well-known statement in The Second Sex (1997), “one is not born a woman, one becomes one” has a special relevance to India where conventions, religious and social taboos dictate and inhibit woman’s individuality. Meena Shiwadkar in The Image of Indian Woman in the Indo-Anglian Novel (1979) writes:

The behavioural patterns for the Indian women are predetermined by the family and caste into which one is born and values and traditions of a culture that upholds archetypical images of women. Ancient Indian literature and mythology have internalized the concept of the sacrificing mother and the devoted, enduring wife through the ‘image of Sati, Savitri and Shakuntala.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Rajesh V. Basiya, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of English
Sheth S.V. Arts and Commerce College
Mandvi-Kachchh
Gujarat
India
rv_basiya@yahoo.co.in
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