Page 98 - SocialHarmony

102 Social Harmony

women becoming part of self-help groups. This is an honest
effort to change individual power into the strength of the society.

There is a myth that women are much more liberated in
Western countries. Even many people in India who have no
idea about our strengths and culture believe that women in
Western countries are empowered and they are considered
inferior in India. No woman has ever been elected President of
the United States of America; women did not even have voting
rights until recently. However, in India, women can be the
president (Sarpanch) of her village, sub-district or district.
Women can participate in and work for the village, sub-district
or district panchayat to the extent of 33% of its total strength.
India is the only country all over the world with 33 per cent
reservation for women. Some people feel that this is recent
development, but since time immemorial, the economic
development of our country has depended on women power.
Some may feel that women do not contribute to the financial
progress of the nation as they do not occupy key positions in
industry – this is a Western concept. Even today, the highest
contribution to animal husbandry comes from women. Isn’t this
participation an important part of the nation’s progress? Have
you ever seen a man taking care of his cattle? Only very rare.
On the other hand, women in the villages nurture their animals
as lovingly as their own children. This enormous contribution
of women has not happened only after independence – it has
been going on for thousands of years. The entire system of
agriculture in our country is based on partnership between men
and women. On an average, women put in two-three hours of
extra work in addition to their farming duties. They cook and
clean for the family and then work as much as their husbands
in the fields. Even today, women sustain the entire family.

We may not have fiery speeches of women’s equality, nor
may we have any place for feminism, but we have long
acknowledged women power. Even our mythology has a
concept of Ardhnarishwar (God, with a body half-man and half-
woman). We do not accept either man or woman alone as
complete. Only when both come together, do we take them to