Social democracy demands existence of freedom, equality, justice and solidarity among masses. Doy... more Social democracy demands existence of freedom, equality, justice and solidarity among masses. Doyens like John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Karl Marx decrypted the social inequalities that deprived people of human rights. Dr B. R. Ambedkar, being the most influential figure vis-à-vis social democracy in Indian context, voiced the deprived status of Dalits. Inspired by John Dewey’s idea of social endosmosis, he concluded that education can help to dissolve the rigid boundaries of caste. He also vociferously advocated education for Dalits to erase the status quo of being a society’s underbelly and overcome the quotidian humiliations. Discourses on Dalits since then have converged to an infectious expansive debate on the concomitant subjugated status of Dalits in the Indian social structure. Many Dalits have procured agency through education and have been vociferously voicing the subjugated position of Dalits in the cultural apparatus of caste. Bama is one such educated Dalit woman who has laid bare through her writings the complexities existing in a Dalit’s life. Her autobiography invocates Dalits to empower themselves through education and transgress the rigid boundaries of caste. The article examines her vision of Dalits’ emancipation vis-à-vis Ambedkar’s notion of social democracy.
Proceedings of The 3rd International Academic Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2019
Ancient Hindu cult adhered to Vedas for the moral and social code of conduct. The tenets of Vedas... more Ancient Hindu cult adhered to Vedas for the moral and social code of conduct. The tenets of Vedas were treated as sublime, hence were unquestionable. The roots of code of conduct cemented in Vedic India gradually metamorphosed into unequal power distribution in Hindu society. It led to the evolution of sexual identities, along with the customs and practices which emanated gender inequality in ancient India. Established social diktats and process of social conditioning nurtured the gender roles. The paper attempts to examine the marriage hymns of Atharva-veda which delineate roles and responsibilities of men and women in the institution of marriage. The analysis is focused on filtered marriage hymns which discuss the concept of Streedhan, prove the existence of patrilocal and patrilineal society, and advocates motherhood. The objective of the paper is to foresee the impact of the Hindu jurisprudence on its women.
Journal of emerging technologies and innovative research, 2018
With the advent of UN Declaration of Human rights and CEDAW, the government of the countries took... more With the advent of UN Declaration of Human rights and CEDAW, the government of the countries took some stringent measures to curb the problem of female marginalization and suppression. Many new schemes and programs have been launched for the upliftment of women. Despite tremendous efforts made by the countries of the world to bring women at par with men, females are still relegated to a secondary status in the society. India is one such country which is struggling with a similar challenge.The constitution and judiciary of India have granted equal rights to women but equality at social level is yet to be achieved. Birth of a female is still unwelcomed in conservative Indian families. Inclination towards male progeny has put a question on the existence of female children in the society. Sex-selective abortions and female infanticide have become rampant. The present paper tries to examine the existence and effects of female foeticide and infanticidein contemporary Indian society.It als...
Accepted on: 29/01/2015 ABSTRACT This paper attempts to examine the dilemma of Canadian women who... more Accepted on: 29/01/2015 ABSTRACT This paper attempts to examine the dilemma of Canadian women who oscillate between conventional social code meant for women and their selfidentity. Edible woman showcases myriad feministic issues like subjugation of women, male hegemony, disagreement with feminine roles, women: commodity and consumerism. Margaret Atwood highlights through her novels the pathetic facet of Canadian women who are trapped in framed roles which suggest them a conventional code of conduct. They experience an irrevocable loss of self-identity. The adamantine rigidity of the patriarchy, which advocates feminine traits and secondary position of women in society, pushes women to an abysmal thralldom.
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is a powerful narrative on ‘Bacha Bazi', “same-sex pedophil... more Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is a powerful narrative on ‘Bacha Bazi', “same-sex pedophilia restricted to adult men and adolescent boys” (Powell, 2018, p.1), prevalent in Afghanistan. When marginalisation of Afghan women became the nucleus of major studies , especially during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Hosseini unveiled in The Kite Runner, the gruesome Afghan culture of ‘Bacha Bazi’ that disintegrates a boy’s social and sexual identity. ‘Bacha Bazi’ is not consensual rather coercion hence is equivalent to rape and reflects the grotesque violation of Afghan male children’s human rights. While the world viewed Afghanistan as a land of incessant wars, tribal conflicts, violence and female exploitation, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner provided a startling insight into ‘Bacha Bazi’ and its implications on Afghan boys. The novel reveals the socio-culture domain of Afghanistan and ethnic rivalry playing an instrumental role in the existence of Bacha Bazi. In the light of ...
Pakistan and Afghanistan share a common border near Kohistan mountain terrain. Many tribal commun... more Pakistan and Afghanistan share a common border near Kohistan mountain terrain. Many tribal communities found in this region are highly orthodox, barbaric and inundated with religious fanatics. Kohistani is one such tribe. Patriarchy is rampant in its social structure and restoration of male honour is one of the most important motives of their lives. Women in such tribes have been devoid of basic human rights since ages. They lead a parasitic life devoid of self-esteem, self-identity and is only expected to self-abnegate. Many writers are challenging such orthodox approach of the religious fundamentalists who deny human rights to a major section of a society named women. Bapsi Sidhwa is one such writer who has blatantly exposed the inhuman practices prevailing against women in Kohistani community of Pakistan by so called preservers of religion and civilization. The present paper tries to examine the status of women in the Kohistani community. It also tries to analyse the reasons whic...
Femininity is not inborn but inculcated. Women are trapped in the conventional roles set by the p... more Femininity is not inborn but inculcated. Women are trapped in the conventional roles set by the patriarchal society. The rearing process of a girl-child, social conditioning, gender discrimination and self-abnegation abet stereotyped roles. Margaret Atwood assertively presents the vicious web of patriarchy which gives women a secondary status in the Canadian society. The present paper examines the factors responsible for subjugation and debasement of women.
Hinduism which has always formed a major section of Indian society has been highly religious and ... more Hinduism which has always formed a major section of Indian society has been highly religious and looked upon its religious texts as a guide to code of conduct. However the modern Hindu society, seems to be enveloped by materialism are side-lining the essence of being a Hindu. Women are pushed to a cul-de-sac of identity crisis. Dowry deaths, female foeticide, girl-chid discrimination, domestic violence, sexual exploitation are rampant in it which is not in coherence with the Hindu dictates. The grim situation forces us to ponder on the reasons which transformed the attitude of Hindu society towards its women. The present paper tries to examine the status of Hindu women in ancient India. It is an attempt to trace the reasons responsible for a gradual change in the outlook of Hindus towards it women. Introduction Hinduism emerged as the basic religion of India during Vedic age. The period witnessed the emergence of myriad Hindu scriptures.The period of ancient Indian society can be divided into two parts-The Vedic Period (c.4000 B.C. to 1000 B.C.) and the age of the Smritis (c.800 B.C. to 300 AD).Aryans were the inhabitants of Vedic India. They were not the original residents of India. Their literary works, known as the Vedas, gave us for the first time a comprehensive picture of the social and religious ideas as well as political and economic condition (Majumdar 2003). The Aryans followed the Vedic rules propounded by the Vedic texts. The Vedas have three classes-The Samhitas, The Brahmanas and The Aranyakas. The Samhitas have four different texts-The RigvedaSamhita, The AtharvavedaSamhita, The SamavedaSamhita and The YajurvedaSamhita. The Rig Veda Samhita was written by priests for specific needs of the ritual services (Embree 5). The scholars and sages of ancient India formulated the laws governing the code of conduct both for men and women. All these laws are collected in eighteen Dharmashastras.The ancient India followed the precepts as given by various religious texts.
Medieval India, considered as ‘Dark Age’ appositely illustrates chaotic wilderness of invaders. T... more Medieval India, considered as ‘Dark Age’ appositely illustrates chaotic wilderness of invaders. They blatantly exploited the Indian soil and took the benefit of the prevailing rigid caste system and regionalism which created a peculiar air of distrust among people and kings. Hindu women’s honoured position was refurbished to a demeaning abyss.An indifferent attitude towards females developed through which evil practices stemmed and multiplied the problems of Hindu women. Modern India came as a respite to Hindu women. The present paper tries to examine the status of Hindu women in modern India. It also closely looks at the new challenges being faced by the contemporary Hindu women. Key words: modern India, Hindu women, dowry system, gender discrimination, child-marriage, myths
Hinduism which has always formed a major section of Indian society has been highly religious and ... more Hinduism which has always formed a major section of Indian society has been highly religious and looked upon its religious texts as a guide to code of conduct. However the modern Hindu society, seems to be enveloped by materialism are side-lining the essence of being a Hindu. Women are pushed to a cul-de-sac of identity crisis. Dowry deaths, female foeticide, girl-chid discrimination, domestic violence, sexual exploitation are rampant in it which is not in coherence with the Hindu dictates. The grim situation forces us to ponder on the reasons which transformed the attitude of Hindu society towards its women. The present paper tries to examine the status of Hindu women in ancient India. It is an attempt to trace the reasons responsible for a gradual change in the outlook of Hindus towards it women.
The saga of Indian women’s suppression is as old as history. The reasons for their subjugation ar... more The saga of Indian women’s suppression is as old as history. The reasons for their subjugation are embedded in the patriarchal social structures. Social diktats have restricted women’s rights as an individual and exhibited them as weaker sex with stereotyped images. Hence, despite having education and economic independence women are still trapped in the vicious web of myths. Shashi Deshpande’s writings expose the myriad reasons responsible for the debasement of women’s rights and self-identity. The paper examines the challenges before Indian women due to the existence of age old myths in the contemporary Indian society.
Social democracy demands existence of freedom, equality, justice and solidarity among masses. Doy... more Social democracy demands existence of freedom, equality, justice and solidarity among masses. Doyens like John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Karl Marx decrypted the social inequalities that deprived people of human rights. Dr B. R. Ambedkar, being the most influential figure vis-à-vis social democracy in Indian context, voiced the deprived status of Dalits. Inspired by John Dewey’s idea of social endosmosis, he concluded that education can help to dissolve the rigid boundaries of caste. He also vociferously advocated education for Dalits to erase the status quo of being a society’s underbelly and overcome the quotidian humiliations. Discourses on Dalits since then have converged to an infectious expansive debate on the concomitant subjugated status of Dalits in the Indian social structure. Many Dalits have procured agency through education and have been vociferously voicing the subjugated position of Dalits in the cultural apparatus of caste. Bama is one such educated Dalit woman who has laid bare through her writings the complexities existing in a Dalit’s life. Her autobiography invocates Dalits to empower themselves through education and transgress the rigid boundaries of caste. The article examines her vision of Dalits’ emancipation vis-à-vis Ambedkar’s notion of social democracy.
Proceedings of The 3rd International Academic Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2019
Ancient Hindu cult adhered to Vedas for the moral and social code of conduct. The tenets of Vedas... more Ancient Hindu cult adhered to Vedas for the moral and social code of conduct. The tenets of Vedas were treated as sublime, hence were unquestionable. The roots of code of conduct cemented in Vedic India gradually metamorphosed into unequal power distribution in Hindu society. It led to the evolution of sexual identities, along with the customs and practices which emanated gender inequality in ancient India. Established social diktats and process of social conditioning nurtured the gender roles. The paper attempts to examine the marriage hymns of Atharva-veda which delineate roles and responsibilities of men and women in the institution of marriage. The analysis is focused on filtered marriage hymns which discuss the concept of Streedhan, prove the existence of patrilocal and patrilineal society, and advocates motherhood. The objective of the paper is to foresee the impact of the Hindu jurisprudence on its women.
Journal of emerging technologies and innovative research, 2018
With the advent of UN Declaration of Human rights and CEDAW, the government of the countries took... more With the advent of UN Declaration of Human rights and CEDAW, the government of the countries took some stringent measures to curb the problem of female marginalization and suppression. Many new schemes and programs have been launched for the upliftment of women. Despite tremendous efforts made by the countries of the world to bring women at par with men, females are still relegated to a secondary status in the society. India is one such country which is struggling with a similar challenge.The constitution and judiciary of India have granted equal rights to women but equality at social level is yet to be achieved. Birth of a female is still unwelcomed in conservative Indian families. Inclination towards male progeny has put a question on the existence of female children in the society. Sex-selective abortions and female infanticide have become rampant. The present paper tries to examine the existence and effects of female foeticide and infanticidein contemporary Indian society.It als...
Accepted on: 29/01/2015 ABSTRACT This paper attempts to examine the dilemma of Canadian women who... more Accepted on: 29/01/2015 ABSTRACT This paper attempts to examine the dilemma of Canadian women who oscillate between conventional social code meant for women and their selfidentity. Edible woman showcases myriad feministic issues like subjugation of women, male hegemony, disagreement with feminine roles, women: commodity and consumerism. Margaret Atwood highlights through her novels the pathetic facet of Canadian women who are trapped in framed roles which suggest them a conventional code of conduct. They experience an irrevocable loss of self-identity. The adamantine rigidity of the patriarchy, which advocates feminine traits and secondary position of women in society, pushes women to an abysmal thralldom.
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is a powerful narrative on ‘Bacha Bazi', “same-sex pedophil... more Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is a powerful narrative on ‘Bacha Bazi', “same-sex pedophilia restricted to adult men and adolescent boys” (Powell, 2018, p.1), prevalent in Afghanistan. When marginalisation of Afghan women became the nucleus of major studies , especially during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Hosseini unveiled in The Kite Runner, the gruesome Afghan culture of ‘Bacha Bazi’ that disintegrates a boy’s social and sexual identity. ‘Bacha Bazi’ is not consensual rather coercion hence is equivalent to rape and reflects the grotesque violation of Afghan male children’s human rights. While the world viewed Afghanistan as a land of incessant wars, tribal conflicts, violence and female exploitation, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner provided a startling insight into ‘Bacha Bazi’ and its implications on Afghan boys. The novel reveals the socio-culture domain of Afghanistan and ethnic rivalry playing an instrumental role in the existence of Bacha Bazi. In the light of ...
Pakistan and Afghanistan share a common border near Kohistan mountain terrain. Many tribal commun... more Pakistan and Afghanistan share a common border near Kohistan mountain terrain. Many tribal communities found in this region are highly orthodox, barbaric and inundated with religious fanatics. Kohistani is one such tribe. Patriarchy is rampant in its social structure and restoration of male honour is one of the most important motives of their lives. Women in such tribes have been devoid of basic human rights since ages. They lead a parasitic life devoid of self-esteem, self-identity and is only expected to self-abnegate. Many writers are challenging such orthodox approach of the religious fundamentalists who deny human rights to a major section of a society named women. Bapsi Sidhwa is one such writer who has blatantly exposed the inhuman practices prevailing against women in Kohistani community of Pakistan by so called preservers of religion and civilization. The present paper tries to examine the status of women in the Kohistani community. It also tries to analyse the reasons whic...
Femininity is not inborn but inculcated. Women are trapped in the conventional roles set by the p... more Femininity is not inborn but inculcated. Women are trapped in the conventional roles set by the patriarchal society. The rearing process of a girl-child, social conditioning, gender discrimination and self-abnegation abet stereotyped roles. Margaret Atwood assertively presents the vicious web of patriarchy which gives women a secondary status in the Canadian society. The present paper examines the factors responsible for subjugation and debasement of women.
Hinduism which has always formed a major section of Indian society has been highly religious and ... more Hinduism which has always formed a major section of Indian society has been highly religious and looked upon its religious texts as a guide to code of conduct. However the modern Hindu society, seems to be enveloped by materialism are side-lining the essence of being a Hindu. Women are pushed to a cul-de-sac of identity crisis. Dowry deaths, female foeticide, girl-chid discrimination, domestic violence, sexual exploitation are rampant in it which is not in coherence with the Hindu dictates. The grim situation forces us to ponder on the reasons which transformed the attitude of Hindu society towards its women. The present paper tries to examine the status of Hindu women in ancient India. It is an attempt to trace the reasons responsible for a gradual change in the outlook of Hindus towards it women. Introduction Hinduism emerged as the basic religion of India during Vedic age. The period witnessed the emergence of myriad Hindu scriptures.The period of ancient Indian society can be divided into two parts-The Vedic Period (c.4000 B.C. to 1000 B.C.) and the age of the Smritis (c.800 B.C. to 300 AD).Aryans were the inhabitants of Vedic India. They were not the original residents of India. Their literary works, known as the Vedas, gave us for the first time a comprehensive picture of the social and religious ideas as well as political and economic condition (Majumdar 2003). The Aryans followed the Vedic rules propounded by the Vedic texts. The Vedas have three classes-The Samhitas, The Brahmanas and The Aranyakas. The Samhitas have four different texts-The RigvedaSamhita, The AtharvavedaSamhita, The SamavedaSamhita and The YajurvedaSamhita. The Rig Veda Samhita was written by priests for specific needs of the ritual services (Embree 5). The scholars and sages of ancient India formulated the laws governing the code of conduct both for men and women. All these laws are collected in eighteen Dharmashastras.The ancient India followed the precepts as given by various religious texts.
Medieval India, considered as ‘Dark Age’ appositely illustrates chaotic wilderness of invaders. T... more Medieval India, considered as ‘Dark Age’ appositely illustrates chaotic wilderness of invaders. They blatantly exploited the Indian soil and took the benefit of the prevailing rigid caste system and regionalism which created a peculiar air of distrust among people and kings. Hindu women’s honoured position was refurbished to a demeaning abyss.An indifferent attitude towards females developed through which evil practices stemmed and multiplied the problems of Hindu women. Modern India came as a respite to Hindu women. The present paper tries to examine the status of Hindu women in modern India. It also closely looks at the new challenges being faced by the contemporary Hindu women. Key words: modern India, Hindu women, dowry system, gender discrimination, child-marriage, myths
Hinduism which has always formed a major section of Indian society has been highly religious and ... more Hinduism which has always formed a major section of Indian society has been highly religious and looked upon its religious texts as a guide to code of conduct. However the modern Hindu society, seems to be enveloped by materialism are side-lining the essence of being a Hindu. Women are pushed to a cul-de-sac of identity crisis. Dowry deaths, female foeticide, girl-chid discrimination, domestic violence, sexual exploitation are rampant in it which is not in coherence with the Hindu dictates. The grim situation forces us to ponder on the reasons which transformed the attitude of Hindu society towards its women. The present paper tries to examine the status of Hindu women in ancient India. It is an attempt to trace the reasons responsible for a gradual change in the outlook of Hindus towards it women.
The saga of Indian women’s suppression is as old as history. The reasons for their subjugation ar... more The saga of Indian women’s suppression is as old as history. The reasons for their subjugation are embedded in the patriarchal social structures. Social diktats have restricted women’s rights as an individual and exhibited them as weaker sex with stereotyped images. Hence, despite having education and economic independence women are still trapped in the vicious web of myths. Shashi Deshpande’s writings expose the myriad reasons responsible for the debasement of women’s rights and self-identity. The paper examines the challenges before Indian women due to the existence of age old myths in the contemporary Indian society.
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