History of India

Internal Assessment
Creative Essay

Submitted to
Prof. Nitika Ladda
Department of Political Science

Submitted by
Anushka Sarkar
23/701
BA(Hons)History-B

April 15th, 2025

A Conversation Between Pandita Ramabai and Tarabai Shinde on Women in 21st Century
India

The sunlight of winter poured in through the windows of the tiny library where Pandita
Ramabai and Tarabai Shinde sat facing each other. Books filled the room—new books, old
books—a proper background for these two trailblazers who had never met in their lives but
whose efforts had formed the groundwork for women's freedom in India.

Pandita Ramabai, with her short hair and firm face, pushed up her glasses as she set a tablet
computer on the table between them. Tarabai Shinde leaned forward with interest, her
nine-yard saree draped stylishly around her, her eyes keen and questioning.

"So this is the 21st century," Ramabai said, glancing around at the new library. "Over a
hundred years have gone by since we composed our works."

Tarabai nodded, her fingers outlining the rim of the tablet. "And we are here to judge what
has changed for our sisters in this new India? I wonder if they have finally broken the
shackles we struggled against."

"Let us look," said Ramabai, wakening the tablet with a light touch. "Let us look at what has
happened to the widow I wrote about in 'The High-Caste Hindu Woman,' the child brides, the
women who were denied education. And the women you so wonderfully defended in 'Stri
Purush Tulana.'"

The Legal Landscape

"It appears," Tarabai started, going through data on the screen, "that legally, women have
made tremendous progress. The Indian Constitution enshrines equality before the law,
prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex, and even permits special provisions for
women and children."

Ramabai smiled in agreement. "During my day, I promoted women's education and

independence when most thought a woman's only role was to serve her husband. I established
the Sharada Sadan to educate widows when society had discarded them. Now, at least on
paper, the government is behind women's rights."
"Indeed," Tarabai answered. "The Hindu Succession Amendment Act of 2005 finally granted
daughters the same inheritance rights over ancestral property as men. Do you recall when I
wrote in 'Stri Purush Tulana' about the gross injustice of women being treated like property
themselves, never mind property owners?"

Ramabai smiled grimly. "I do not forget. You wrote, 'If a comparison is to be made between
men and women, then let it be just. When God has made men and women equal, why has
man assumed superior status?' Your words were revolutionary then."

"And yet," Tarabai asserted, her tone serious, "in spite of these legal safeguards, I hear stories
of ongoing discrimination. The National Family Health Survey reveals that 43% of Indian
women between the ages of 15 and 49 possess a bank account they personally manage, and
29% of women own land, typically together with a male relative."

"Laws don't change hearts overnight," Ramabai sighed. "When I wrote about the suffering of
Hindu widows in 1887, I wrote about how they were 'constantly tormented.' Although sati is
now banned, I see that widows in cities like Vrindavan and Varanasi continue to be
abandoned and destitute."

Education and Empowerment

Tarabai reached for the tablet, searching for statistics on women's education. "Here is
something that would have given us hope in our time: female literacy has risen from less than
10% in our era to over 70% today."

Ramabai's eyes sparkled. "Education was always the key. My own education was
scandalous—a woman studying Sanskrit and becoming a Pandita! When I started the Mukti
Mission, I hoped one day girls' education would be the norm."

"But the gap persists," Tarabai said. "Male literacy continues to lead female literacy by some
15 percentage points. And girls' dropout rate, especially in rural areas, is still high."

"And what about higher education?" Ramabai asked. "When I went to study in England and
America, I was a novelty—an Indian woman seeking higher education."

"Today, women account for almost 50% of college graduates in India," Tarabai pointed out.
"But their presence in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—is
still below that of men's. And educational achievements do not necessarily lead to economic
independence."

"That makes me think of Savitribai Phule," said Ramabai. "She had to endure harassment and
abuse just because she taught girls. Now there are millions of women teachers, professors,
and even college principals."

"True progress," Tarabai concurred. "But when I hear of the efforts of Dalit women to gain
access to good education, I am reminded that not all women have gained equally from these
developments."

Work and Economic Independence

"In 'The High-Caste Hindu Woman,' I said that women had no autonomy, no means of
supporting themselves except through marriage," Ramabai explained. "Has this changed in
the 21st century?"

Tarabai pulled up more data. "The female labor force participation rate in India is just around
20%, one of the lowest among emerging economies. Even with education, many women
remain stuck in the home."

"That is discouraging," Ramabai scowled. "When I urged women to be trained in skills such
as printing, teaching, and nursing, I expected economic independence to result."

"There have been gains," Tarabai replied. "Women are CEOs of large corporations, scientists,
doctors, and engineers. India has had a woman president, prime minister, and state bank
chiefs."

"Rarity women," Ramabai conceded. "But what about the everyday woman? Has her
economic status changed?"

"The Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) now boasts more than 1.5 million
members—informal sector women who have organized to get better conditions and access to
financial services," Tarabai explained. "And microfinance efforts have enabled rural women
to become entrepreneurs of small businesses."
"I started the Krupa Sadan to educate widows in industrial skills," said Ramabai. "Today
there are government initiatives like the National Rural Livelihoods Mission promoting
women entrepreneurship."

"Yet the gender pay gap persists," Tarabai noted. "Women earn approximately 20% less than
men for similar work. And unpaid domestic labor is still predominantly women's
responsibility."

Marriage and Family Life

"What of child marriage?" Ramabai asked urgently. "I wrote extensively about the suffering
of child brides in my time."

Tarabai looked stern. "The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act makes 18 the minimum age for
girls and 21 for boys. But as per UNICEF, 27% of Indian girls are still married by the age of
18."

"And the recent suggestion to increase the minimum marrying age for women to 21?"

"A step forward, maybe, but enforcement is the catch," Tarabai responded. "Just as in our
day, laws alone cannot change thoroughly ingrained traditions."

"And what about the women who don't want to marry?" Ramabai asked. "In my day, they
didn't have much of a choice."

"Single women by choice are on the rise in cities," Tarabai noted. "But they still suffer social
stigma and family pressure. And divorce, although legally possible, is accompanied by large
social penalties for women."

"I recall fighting for the right of widows to marry again," Ramabai recalled. "Has that stigma
disappeared?"

"In part, especially in cities," Tarabai replied. "But widows in rural India continue to be
restricted in their clothing, food, and involvement in auspicious events."

"And what about the dowry system that I condemned so vigorously?" Ramabai asked. "Was it
abolished?"
Tarabai shook her head. "Dowry is prohibited under the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961, but
the National Crime Records Bureau records hundreds of dowry deaths annually. The practice
persists in new disguise, with 'gifts' to the bridegroom's family now including cars,
electronics, and money."

"When I composed 'Stri Purush Tulana,' I defied the idea that men were superior to women
by nature," Tarabai asserted. "Has there been a shift in the essential inequality in marriage?"

"There are indications of change," Ramabai agreed. "The Special Marriage Act enables
intercaste and interfaith marriages. And LGBTQ+ rights have evolved, with the Supreme
Court decriminalizing homosexuality in 2018."

Violence Against Women

Tarabai's face turned somber as she browsed news articles on the tablet. "The brutality against
women that I condemned goes on unrelentingly. The Nirbhaya case of 2012, the Hathras case
of 2020."

"We resisted such violence in our work," Ramabai said gravely. "Nothing has changed, has
it?"

"There are more stringent laws now," Tarabai conceded. "The Criminal Law Amendment Act
of 2013 widened the scope of sexual assault and gave more stringent punishment. The Sexual
Harassment of Women at Workplace Act offers some protection at workplaces."

"But the National Crime Records Bureau documents more than 400,000 crimes against
women every year," Ramabai pointed out. "And some are not reported because of shame,
family pressure, or lack of confidence in the justice system."

"In 'Stri Purush Tulana,' I condemned men who mistreated their wives but justified
themselves in the name of religion," Tarabai explained. "Today, there is the Protection of
Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005 which offers legal action, yet domestic violence
is rampant."

"And what about the 'Eve teasing' you wrote about?" Ramabai inquired.
"Now referred to as street harassment, it is still widespread," Tarabai added. "Women alter
their behavior, dress, and stride to prevent it, just like they did during our generation."

Political Voice and Representation

"In our generation, women did not have any political voice," Ramabai noted. "Has that
altered much?"

"The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments allocate one-third seats in local government
bodies to women," Tarabai explained. "So, more than 1.4 million women are members of
panchayats throughout India."

"That is inspiring," Ramabai smiled. "Women taking decisions at the grass roots level where
it affects everyday life."

"Still, in Parliament, women are just about 14% of members," Tarabai replied. "The Women's
Reservation Bill, reserving 33% of parliamentary seats for women, has been stuck in the
pipeline for decades."

"So women do have a voice, but not an equal voice," Ramabai summed up.

Media, Technology, and New Frontiers

"These emerging technologies present both challenges and opportunities for women," Tarabai
said, nodding toward the tablet. "Social media platforms have provided women with spaces to
voice their experiences, mobilize movements such as #MeToo India, and disrupt dominant
narratives."

"But I hear stories of online abuse aimed at women, especially those who comment on
contentious topics," Ramabai added. "The same patriarchal sentiments we resisted in our
texts now appear in cyberspace."

"True," Tarabai agreed. "And media representation of women often reinforces stereotypes.
The 'ideal woman' in advertisements and films is still primarily defined by her appearance
and domestic roles."

"Though there are now films and series featuring strong, independent female characters,"
Ramabai pointed out. "Stories that would never have been told in our time."
"And women are producing their own material," Tarabai commented. "Women directors,
writers, and producers are getting women's stories onto the screen."

Rural vs. Urban Divide

"The contrasts between the experiences of rural and urban women appear to be huge,"
Ramabai noted. "Urban women are more educated, have better access to medical facilities,
and more opportunities for employment."

"Bharatiya women rural women still have high hurdles to cross," Tarabai concurred. "Limited
availability of education, healthcare, and banking services. More enforcement of traditional
gender roles. More child marriage and domestic violence."

"Rural women are not passive victims," Ramabai emphasized. "Consider the Gulabi Gang in
Uttar Pradesh, women mobilizing against domestic violence and corruption. Or the Chipko
women defending forests."

"In my 'Stri Purush Tulana,' I had contended that women's alleged inferiority was not natural
but socially constructed," Tarabai explained. "These instances demonstrate women's strength
when they are given the chance to use it."

Intersectionality: Caste, Class, and Religion

"We cannot talk about women in India without recognizing differences of caste, class, and
religion," Ramabai stated. Her own conversion to Christianity had been contentious during
her lifetime.

"Yes," Tarabai answered. "Dalit women are discriminated against on several fronts—as
women and as part of lower castes. Muslim women have to contend with both gender
discrimination and increasing Islamophobia."

"The oppression I chronicled among high-caste Hindu widows was unique to that setting,"
Ramabai conceded. "The contemporary women's movement needs to take on these
intersecting oppressions."

"Some steps have been taken," Tarabai said. "The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act gives protection under the law. Groups such as the All India
Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch fight specifically for the rights of Dalit women."
"And women of various backgrounds are finding common ground," Ramabai added. "The
anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests saw women of all faiths united."

Looking to the Future

As the daylight of the afternoon wore away, Ramabai and Tarabai sat quietly, taking it all in,
what they had learned about women's status in India in the 21st century.

"We have seen improvement," Ramabai said at last. "Women have legal rights we only
dreamed of. Access to schooling, career options, political presence. The seeds we planted
took root."

"But so much remains the same," Tarabai said. "The root devaluation of women I condemned
in 'Stri Purush Tulana' continues to exist in new guises. Violence against women still exists.
Economic disparity still stands stark."

"Maybe the most significant change is in the consciousness of women," Ramabai said. "The
women of today realize they are entitled to equality. They organize, they protest, they seek
justice. They carry on from the foundation we established."

"Yes," Tarabai smiled. "We were a rare voice in our day. Now there are millions of us, from
college students to farmers' wives to business executives."

"In 'The High-Caste Hindu Woman,' I said that education was the only hope for women's
emancipation," Ramabai said. "I still think so, but now I realize that education has to be
accompanied by economic opportunity, political power, and cultural change."

"And in 'Stri Purush Tulana,' I asked men to look at themselves instead of blaming women,"
Tarabai added. "That work continues today in efforts to engage men and boys in gender
equality work."

As library lights automatically went on with the approaching dusk, Ramabai reached across
the table to take Tarabai's hand.

"Our efforts were not wasted," she replied softly. "The journey to equality is more difficult
than we had thought, but women persist on it with courage and determination."
"And they walk it together," Tarabai answered, "over differences of caste, class, religion, and
region. That fills me with hope for the future."

Beyond the panes of the windows, city lights started sparkling as women were heading
home—some to children, some to apartments with nobody else in them, some to hostels,
some to dormitories. Women physicians finished up their rounds, women factory laborers
clocked out, women business women closed down their laptops, women agriculturalists put
aside their tools. All part of the continuing saga that Pandita Ramabai and Tarabai Shinde had
assisted in bringing into motion, a saga that is still being penned by the women of 21st
century India.