Vishesh Unni Raghunathan
Vishesh Unni Raghunathan
10 INDIAN WOMEN WHO WERE THE FIRST TO DO WHAT THEY DID By Shruti Rao /THE GIRL WHO WENT TO THE STARS AND OTHER EXTRAORDINARY TALES by Shruti Rao/Ishita Jain Duckbill Books/Puffin Books, 2019, 105 pp., 200/499
November 2019, volume 43, No 11

As the title suggests, Shruti Rao tells us the stories of ten Indian women who were path-breakers in their respective fields. Women have had to fight discrimination, violence and resistance in a highly patriarchal and misogynistic society. The stories of these women’s achievements are also stories of facing lifetimes of discrimination and resistance from society, and fighting to overcome them to do what they did. Most of the stories are from the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, which was a period of awakening around the world. It saw the suffrage movement and the two World Wars, and in India the Independence movement. These events saw women come out and participate in public life, lead struggles and fight for their rights and strive to claim a place for themselves. The story of Savitribai Phule is an inspiration and relevant even today where access to education and opportunities are denied to Dalits and lower castes. Her grit and determination to educate girls of all backgrounds was a movement for the good which brought in access to education at a time when it was available only to rich and high caste women. The men in the past felt that women were the weaker sex who shouldn’t be burdened with education!

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