Gandhian Feminism: Adapted For The Twentyfirst Century Women

The book, Gandhian Feminism: Adapted for the Twenty-First Century Women, is a systematic and original study of the role of Mahatma Gandhi in the area of Indian feminism. Feminism is of different types and with different objectives. There are feminisms considering that all the problems that women face in society are caused by men or patriarchy. The author does not agree with that instead wants to insist that the Gandhian model of women empowerment is well suited to the contemporary social situation. Gandhi firmly believed that men and women are the two sides of the same coin and they complement each other and have equal roles in the family and society and their togetherness makes an ideal life and ideal state. His work for the emancipation of Indian women from exploitation and inequalities brought radical changes in the socio-economic and political institutions. His aim was to transform, uplift, and empower women by boosting their self-confidence and acknowledging their physical, intellectual, and spiritual powers, and transforming them into ideal fighters of nonviolent satyagraha. Gandhi’s dream was to create a gender-neutral society, where women should have equal rights, equal voice, and equal participation with economic independence, knowledge, and power. Apart from knowing Gandhi as a social-political, moral, and humanist philosopher, perceiving and conceptualizing Gandhi as a feminist, revolutionist, and forefront reformist who paved the way for the women’s movement in India, is a unique interpretation and scholarship.