On Earth human civilization started around some 10,000 years ago and our India had a special part in it.We have evolved ourselves from many stages in history and our culture had a prominent place around the world.Women had a very important place in society in our ancient history.Indian women were treated with a lot of respect across the world because of our culture and traditions.It was looking good and beautiful to the outside world,but inside our country we know how women are treated.In rural areas even today women are treated low and they are only limited to kitchen.In medeival period the condition of women was very critical.There were social evils like Sati and child marriages prevailing in India which centralizes only women.There was no social evil which centralizes men.Why?Women only suffers in every social evil from history to even today in the form of dowry.
Birth of caste system
Our Indian culture is a mixture and blend of many cultures and traditions.Before 1500 BC there are native Indians who didnt have any religion and they were peace lovers.Then people from a clan called Aryan migrated to the North western region of our India and settled across the banks of river Indus.We find antiquities of oldest civilizations only across the banks of rivers.They settled across the river and they brought the knowledge of vedas along with them.They introduce their culture and tradition among native people and influenced the kings here.The aryans claimed themselves as priestly class as they have the knowledge of Vedas.Slowly the native kinds went under their infulence.In those agriculture was the main occupation.Then the four varna system was emerged as “Chaturvarnas”.Brahmins claimed themselves priestly class as upper class.Kshatriyas are second class who are rulers of kingdoms.The third class are Vaishyas who are merchants and traders.Then there is fourth Varna called Sudras who are agricultural labourers etc.The fourth group was treated as lower caste.
Birth of docial evils like Sati and Child marriages
In the early age women are treated with respect.At the time of medeival period the position of women was slowly delning.the caste system became more rigid.In priestly women were only confined to kitchen and education was denied to them.Specific customs aere made by upper caste people to keep their caste clean.They thought that their caste was spoiled if a Brahmin woman or man married a Sudra man or woman.To prevent this they paved a way for social evils.These social evils are made to restrict and suffer women but not men.
Child Marriage
If the wife of upper caste man was died he was looking for other woman from their caste to marry again.If not he was looking to marry a Sudra girl.In order to prevent this they started child marriages.He was made to marry a girl child of age around 7 or 8 in his caste so that he cant marry a lower caste girl.In this was the child marriages emerged.
Sati
In the same way if a husband of upper caste woman died that woman cannot marry other man.Instead the caste heads feared that they engage with sudra man which ruin their caste.So they thought to kill the women through the pyre of her husband.Then SATI was emerged.The two rituals got deep routed in indian society.Moreover the women were not encouraged to read and write.They are treated as just production things for families.This was continued till the Europeans entered into our country.
Reformist movement
At the time of British rule two movements running parllelly in our country.One was reformist movement for the abolition of social evils and the other one was Nationalist movement for the independence of our country.The reformist movement was supported by British govt and they honored social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy.They did it for their own benefits.The nationalist movement was against the govt and british tried to suppres it.
The reformist movement was against the society as the society was rigid and full of social evils.It was easy to fight against the govt when compared to fight against society as we are crticized and chased always in the society.However by the efforts of great social reformers Sati was abolished and Sati Abolition act,1829 was passed by British govt.Slowly child marriages was also reduced.Women were allowed to read and write but only rich class women.Middle and lower class women still mugging up in Kitchen.
Present Scenario
After Independence women like Indira gandhi ruled our country country as PM,but still there are women struggling inside their houses at that time too.We have abolished Sati and child marriage to greater extent and then Kanyasulkam existed.Even after kanyasulkam abolished Dowry existed.Women centralized Social evils never abolished they were just changing its shapes.By potraying one or two women in higher positions we are under the illusion that women empowerment was real.In olden days in the name of sati women were burnt alive in the pyre along with her husband.But now women were burning alive in kitchen flame for dowry.
In olden dags girl child was married at the age of 6 or 7.Now we are not even letting the girl child born.Girl child was killing inside tge womb itself,girl infanticide.
From the history till now girl was suffering all the time.She was being molested,raped,stabbed and killed for many reasons.
The real development of the country happens only when the status of women is raised.Particularly in rural areas there is a need to create awareness.We have to build a society which a girl should feel safe and free.
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