Women Saints of Rajasthan

There are two views, about Indian woman. One is the typical old Indian view point of the Indian woman being a symbol of purity, faithfulness, submission and devotion to her husband. The great symbols are Sita and Savitri. The other view, mostly found in some Western countries, is that the Indian woman is backward, suppressed and treated almost as a chattel. Both these views are far from the truth and deal with some imaginary conceptions little related to life, for life much more complicated and these simple definitions do not give us much insight into its working. I suppose that none of us can be truly objective in discussing a subject of this kind. In a country like India, with it enormous variety, it is easy to pick up some one aspect here and there and generalize from it. So we can indulge in praise of the woman of India and find many examples to justify our praise. We can also condemn their position in Indian life and also find examples to justify this.

A Frenchman once wrote that the best way to judge the position of a nation was to find out the status of its women. Since the beginning of the Christian era, Hindu society has assumed a patronising attitude towards women. While solicitous to increase the scope of their proprietary rights, while anxious to ensure all creature comforts to them, it failed to assess their proper worth with an impartial mind. The tendency to pass disparaging remarks about women in general became commoner. The general position of women had really deteriorated. They were no longer receiving any education. Theologically they had been reduced to the status of the Sudras. Early marriages interfered with the proper development of their character. It could no longer be properly moulded in the loving and sympathetic atmosphere of the parent's house.

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