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implementing the laws very stringently. He organised the dalits into the Depressed
Nevertheless, these steps taken did improve the classes Association. He believed that only the
status of women and did remove caste rigidity to political empowerment would resolve the prob-
some extent. lems of their social disabilities.
DR B.R. AMBEDKAR CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE AS
Dr Bhimrao Ramji SOURCES OF WOMEN’S HISTORY
Ambedkar was an Many factors have contributed to free modern
Indian jurist, scholar. women from the shackles of tradition, prejudice
Bahujan political leader and ignorance. Along with the expansion of
and a Buddhist revival- British power in the 19th century came the
ist. He was the chief radical modernisation of Western thought.
architect of the Indian However, some indigenous literature discouraged
Constitution. Born into western influence (especially on women). These
a poor untouchable manuals were mostly ‘How to do it’ books or
community Ambedkar help-guides for pious, religious women who were
spent his life fighting Dr B.R. Ambedkar expected to carry out their domestic responsibili-
against the system of untouchability and the ties unhesitantly. Dhirendranath Pal’s Conversa-
Indian caste system. He is also credited for tions with the wife written in 1883, Satyacharan
having sparked the Dalit Buddhist Movement. Mitha’s Husband’s Advice to his wife written in
1884, Nagendrabala Dasi’s Woman’s Dharma
Fight Against Untouchability
that was published in 1900, all portary the
In 1919, Ambedkar argued for creating separate
glorification of global domesticity that was the
electorates and reservations for Dalits and other
accepted norm the world over.
religious communities. In 1920, he began the
However, Raja Ram Mohan Roy rightly used his
publication of the weekly Mooknayak Leader of
manual Tattvabodhini Patrika to ventilate his
the Silent in Bombay. Attaining popularity,
anger against the tyrannical system of sati. He
Ambedkar used this journal to criticise orthodox
launched a Bengali weekly Sambad Kaumudi in
Hindu politicaians and a perceived reluctance of
1821, which was the first Indian newspaper
the Indian political community to fight caste
edited, published and managed entirely by
discrimination. His speech at a Depressed
Indians. This weekly also attested the views of
Classes Conference in Kolhapur impressed the
liberal Indians of emancipation of women.
local state ruler Shahu IV who shocked orthodox
Keshab Chandra Sen started the Bamabodhini
society by dining with Ambedkar.
Patrika (1863) to improve the social and moral
He organised the Bahishkarit Hitakarini Sabha
conditions of women protagonists who were
promote education and socio-economic uplifting always self-respecting individuals. One cannot
of the depressed classes. In 1927, Dr Ambedkar help, but form the impression that he visualised
decided to launch active movements against women with these mentioned attributes to lead
untouchability. He began with public movements India into the 20th century. Sarat Chandra
and marches to open up and share public Chatterjee’s female protagonists, however, came
drinking water resources, also he began a strug- from financially insecure backgrounds. They
gle for the right to enter Hindu temples.
often helped create the aura of the male
Social Science-8 72
