Ancient India and Desi Feminism

All of us at some point in our lives wind up on a journey of self-discovery. Being

able to celebrate one’s identity and being able to ask questions was a luxury which was not accessible to women until very recently. Although we have come a long way since the dark ages, a woman’s exploration of self is marred by the many facets of her identity as a female. These facets can be likened to glass shards that nick at our conscience, telling a tale of the struggle that has granted us the privilege we live with today. Our roots are what ground us, and they are what ultimately define our collective identity as women.

 The unfortunate reality, however, resides in the fact that our education system and mass media do not speak enough of Indian women’s long history of struggle in its direct and indirect forms. Feminism is a term that often shows up and is casually used at times in the context of gender studies or women in general. But it is interesting to know that the word itself has not been explicitly used in Indian history. In fact there is a sort of evasion and ambivalence towards the Western-sourced term ‘feminism’.

 But this does not mean that the fight our mothers and grandmothers put up against the patriarchy and oppression is invalid, it only means that their method of struggle was different and influenced by culture, beliefs, and circumstances among other things. The rich body of writing on women’s activism in India is a testament to that. Thus, to truly understand what ‘feminism’ means to us as Indian women it is important we talk more about the historical women who paved the path for today’s ‘feminism’ even before the term itself was conceived. 

Ahilyabai Holkar

Born to an ordinary family in a village during a time when women were confined to the four walls, and social evils like sati and child marriage among others were rampant, Ahilyabai Holkar broke all the glass ceilings when she became the Queen of the Maratha empire and established her historical rule of three decades in Madhya Pradesh. 

She was home-schooled by her father to read and write despite the fact that women’s education was a far-fetched thought in that era. She was noticed by the lord of Malwa, Malhar Rao Holkar, for her generosity which in turn led to her becoming his daughter-in-law. In fact it was the lord of Malwa himself who stopped her from committing sati after her husband’s death. After the king’s death, Ahilyabai took it upon herself to take control of the situation and ascended the throne on December 11, 1767. Thinking the throne had fallen into ‘lesser hands’ enemy forces encircled Malwa. Undeterred Ahilyabai led her forces in a fierce battle proving her competence as a skilled warrior and capable leader. She was a learned politician who observed the wider political scene. She even warned the unsuspecting Peshwa against the British in a letter addressed to him in 1772. 

Ahilyabai Holkar was a trailblazer. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights. During a time when women were not allowed to pursue higher education, she was a well-read pioneer. She also made efforts to revive women’s education.  

Rani Abbakka Chowta

Rani Abbakka Chowta was a part of the Chowta dynasty in the region of Tulu-Nadu, which was well known for being a matrilineal dynasty. The Jain queen ruled the Ullal province in the Tulu-speaking part of the Karnataka coast, Mangalore. Her era of rule is markedly one that experienced communal harmony. Despite being Jain herself, her court included Hindus and Muslims. Her administration was well represented by local leaders including Jains, Hindus, and Muslims, amongst others. Her army was uniquely known for its diversity of soldiers which mainly consisted of fishermen. Her strength is evident in the fact that amidst all the communal tensions she rallied the support of both Hindus and Muslims against the common enemy, the Portuguese who had captured the Mangalore port. 

Mai Bhago

The personification of the word badass, Mata Bhag Kaur (also known as Mai Bhago) was the first woman in Punjab to fight on a battlefield. She was the sole survivor of the battle of Muktsar and is known as a saint warrior by the Sikh nation. She served as Guru Gobind Singh’s bodyguard till the event of his passing in 1708. 40 men (now called the challi mukte) had deserted the Khalsa i.e. ran away from their position under the leadership of the Guru during an attack. Mai Bhago found these men and persuaded them to return to the Guru to seek redemption. Despite knowing that they were facing their death these 40 men rode headlong into the fight with the Muslim army that was poised to attack the Guru and caused so much damage that the enemy was forced to retreat and lick its wounds. 

Rani Durgawati

She was a Rajput princess of the Chandel dynasty who was known for her beauty. But she had lost her heart to Dalpat Singh, the crown prince of the Gond dynasty. Knowing that her father would not allow the out-of-caste marriage, their union was protested against due to his ties being to the Gond tribe. The only reason why the marriage was possible was due to the promise the King had made to Durgawati’s mother that Durgawati would be allowed to choose her spouse. Thus, the two were married in 1542. This brought forth the alliance between the Gonds and the Chandels. After her husband’s death in 1550, she took the reins of the kingdom. Trade flourished and people were prosperous under her rule. She won the hearts of her subjects by performing numerous beneficial public works in various regions of her realm. She constructed the magnificent Ranital Reservoir, which is near Jabalpur. She was a warrior queen who was known for her success against Baz Bahadur, the Sultan of Malwa. When Akbar defeated Baz Bahadur and took over Malwa, he sent Abdul Mazid Khan to invade the Rani’s state. During the fight, an arrow wounded Rani close to her ear. She fainted after another arrow went through her neck. When she finally became cognizant again, she saw that defeat was coming and killed herself with a dagger, choosing death over dishonour. Even now, June 24, the day of her martyrdom, is known as "Balidan Diwas."

Learning from the Past

All these women broke various stereotypes much ahead of their time and used their voices to advance change during a time when women were considered lesser than men. Their lives and stories are proof that with the right support and determination, women are capable of moving mountains, building lakes (Rani Durgawati), and breaking glass ceilings. All these women were predecessors for freedom fighters as they fought to protect their respective regions from foreign invasions. Their strength, grace, and sacrifice run in the blood of every woman of India. The fight for equality in society has been part of women’s history for centuries, and these forgotten stories are attestations that attaining this is not impossible. In today’s time, where faux feminism and its distorted version of feminist principles are rampant, it is important that we safeguard our cause and develop our own version of what feminism stands for according to our circumstances and our history as a community. None of these women achieved what they did by following the herd. Performative acts that lack real substance or message do not attain anything positive for the cause. In fact they do more harm than good by diluting the true cause. The fight for equality in all spheres of life is ongoing but looking at the success these women attained all those years ago gives a ray of hope and a renewed sense of confidence. There are countless others that should be part of the mainstream discussion and education like Dr Anandibai Gopal, Justice Anna Chandy, Aruna Asaf Ali and many more. This will aid in the empowerment of women thereby benefiting the feminist cause in India. There is also a need for feminism (India’s version) based on well-researched history because what applies to the Western world cannot universally apply for us.