write a report on the role of women in our national movement
Answers
One of the forerunners of India’s struggle for freedom was Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, who became a legendary figure in the history of Indian nationalism. Before, Mahatma Gandhi became the indisputable leader of the national movement; there were two prominent women who encouraged women to participate in the movement. One of them was Annie Besant, the leader of the Theosophical Movement in India. She advocated emancipation of Indian women. In fact, many Indian women joined her Home Rule Movement. According to her, the Home Rule Movement was rendered tenfold more effective by the involvement of a large number of women, who brought to it the uncalculating heroism, the endurance, and the self-sacrifice of the feminine nature.She considered child marriage to be a social evil and wanted its removal from the Indian society. For this, she suggested that boys should not marry at an immature age. She also supported the remarriage of child and young widows. She wholeheartedly supported the drive to educate women and believed that this would assist in successfully solving the vital problems of national life. Sarojini Naidu was one of the forerunners of women’s participation in the National Movement. Gopal Krishna Gokhale told her to use her poetry and her beautiful words to rejuvenate the spirit of independence in the hearts of villagers.
He asked her to use her talent to free Mother India. In August 1914, she met Mahatma Gandhi, and from then onwards devoted her energy to the freedom movement. Sarojini Naidu worked as an active politician and freedom fighter. In 1917, she led the delegation to meet Mr. Montagu for women’s suffrage.
In 1918, she had a resolution passed at the special congress session in Bombay, supporting women’s franchise. In 1919, she went to England as a member of the Home Rule League deputation to give evidence before the Joint Parliamentary Committee. There, she put forward the case for women’s suffrage. In 1919, she became a campaigner for women’s satyagraha, traveling all over India to propagate the cause. She appealed, in particular, to women to agitate against the Rowlett Act.
In 1920, Sarojini joined the non-cooperation movement. In 1921, during the riots in Bombay following the protest against the visit of the Prince of Wales to the city, Sarojini Naidu visited the riot-torn areas, with the aim of persuading people for Hindu-Muslim unity. Similarly, she went to Moplah during the rebellion to deal with a volatile situation, and criticized the government action.
During the 1920s and 1930s, she supported the Akalis and protested against the ban imposed on them. In 1924, she went to South Africa, presided at a session of the East African Congress, and criticized the Anti-Historic Bill. She went to prison a number of times and worked on various committees set up for the cause of freedom.
In September 1931, representatives of various women’s organizations in India met in Bombay with Mrs Sarojini Naidu as their president, and drafted a memorandum demanding “the immediate acceptance of adult franchise without any sex distinction.” The memorandum went on to be accepted and women were granted equal rights as with men. This was a time, when many other Western countries were still fighting for equality between the sexes.
In 1930 when Mahatma Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Movement, Sarojini led from the front along with many other Congress leaders. However, the British responded by arresting most of them. At this time Sarojini took over and continued the campaign. Jawaharlal Nehru in his book “The Discovery of India” writes, “It was not only the display of courage and daring, but what was even more surprising was the organizational power she showed.”
Sarojini was a great orator. Everyone who met her was impressed by her ability to speak. She had an integrated personality and could mesmerize the audiences with pure honesty and patriotism. Although a Congresswoman and personally close to Mahatma Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu’s nationalist vision was far more militant than Gandhi’s.
Many women stood up to the colonial patriarchy, such as Pandita Ramabai, Anandi Gopal and Savithribai Phule. Gandhiji was also instrumental in bringing women into the fold of the national movement. Gandhiji believed that marriages should take place only when there is a desire for progeny.
They were active in participating in the Swadeshi movement, or the boycott of foreign goods, non-payment of taxes, picketing of liquor shops, and so on. There was mass participation of women in the non-cooperation movement of 1921 and the civil disobedience movement of 1930.
As a result of being associated with, and participating in the freedom struggle, Indian women realized the importance of living life as conscious human beings. A number of women activists also gained prominence were Kamaladevi Ghattopadhyaya, Kalpana Dutt, and Madame Bikaji Cama.
