India 50 Years of Independence: 1947-97 Status, Growth & Development- Women (Part-26)

Indian women have marched a long way off from the days of the freedom struggle when they stepped out of their homes with national flags in their hands, following national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi. Now, fifty years after the achievement of freedom, it is time to look back and summarise to ourselves what exactly has been the progress in the lives of Indian women.

This book is an attempt at a kind of documentation of achievements as well as an assessment of the path travelled so far and also an attempt at identifying some existing lacunae and finding out solutions for them. It is however, not exhaustive in its scope, it is representative.

Yashoda Bhat served as a Reader in English, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. She has published two collection of poems and published a book on Aldous Huxley and George Orwell and has translated into English the late Prof. V.K. Gokak's Kannada novel Samarasave Jeevana. In addition, she has edited two books viz., The Image of Indian Woman in Indian Literature (1993), Beyond the Threshold: Indian Women on the Move (1995).

After her retirement, she has settled down at Dharwad, Karnataka and continues with her literary pursuits.

Indian women have marched a long way off from the days of the freedom struggle when they stepped out of their homes with national flags in their hands, following national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi. Now, fifty years after the achievement of freedom, it is time to look back and summarise to ourselves what exactly has been the progress in the lives of Indian women. What is their Status like? What are the heights scaled by them? What else needs to be done? This book is an humble attempt to answer such questions.

My interest in women's studies originated in the necessity of developing awareness for myself and for radiating it all around. Late Prin. C.N. Mangala, a reputed activist from Bangalore and Principal of NMKRV College for Women kindled this interest in me and I remember her with affection and gratitude. The women's studies centre and women's museum Shashwati attached to the college are well-known institutions in Bangalore. I edited two volumes of essays The Image of Woman in Indian Literature (proceedings of a seminar) and Beyond the Threshold, a collection of essays released in Bangalore on the eve of the 4th World Conference of Women at Beijing. The present book is my third attempt in the area of women's studies. I must also add here that my association with the women's group in K.M. College, University of Delhi, Delhi-7 also gave me experience and food for thought and kept up the latent interest alive.

**Contents and Sample Pages**