Question

• Find out the names of a few women’s organisations that emerged both at the national level and in your part of the country.
• Find out about any woman who was part of a tribal or peasant movement, a trade union or one of the many strands of the freedom movement.
• Identify a novel, a short story or play in your region which depicted the struggle of women against discrimination.

Answer 1

Several prominent women’s organizations have shaped the narrative of gender equality in India at both the national and regional levels. Nationally, historic bodies like the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC), founded in 1927, and modern movements like the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) have campaigned extensively for women’s socio-economic rights, labor protection, and legal reforms. Regionally, in Maharashtra, organizations like the Stree Mukti Sanghatana (established in Mumbai in 1975) have done pioneering work in raising awareness about gender discrimination through street plays, counseling centers, and the rehabilitation of women waste-pickers, alongside groups like the Krantijyoti Mahila Pratishthan, which focus on rural women’s empowerment.

A powerful example of a woman who played a central role in grassroots tribal and peasant struggles is Godavari Parulekar. As a dedicated social activist and leadership figure in Western India, she fiercely led the historic Warli Adivasi Revolt in the Thane district of Maharashtra during the mid-1940s. She mobilized marginalized tribal peasants against the oppressive systems of forced labor, illegal land tenancy, and exploitation by landlords. Her relentless organizing under the banner of the All India Kisan Sabha not only secured basic human rights and fair wages for the Warli tribe but also challenged deep-seated patriarchal structures by empowering tribal women to become active political agents in their own liberation.

The literary landscape of the region also reflects this intense struggle against gender discrimination, most famously captured in the classic Marathi novel Pan Lakshat Kon Gheto (translated as “But Who Cares?”), written by Hari Narayan Apte in 1890. The novel portrays the tragic life of Yamuna, a young girl navigating the suffocating social orthodoxies of 19th-century Indian society. Through her journey, the text vividly exposes the harsh realities of child marriage, the forced isolation of young girls, the systemic denial of education, and the severe cruelty inflicted upon widows. By highlighting Yamuna’s internal resilience and quiet resistance against these oppressive customs, the novel serves as a foundational critique of patriarchal discrimination in Indian literature.