Topic– Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.
3) The early years of the 20th century marked important landmarks in the history of the Indian women’s movement. Discuss.(250 words)
Directive word
Discuss- this is an all-encompassing directive which mandates us to write in detail about the key demand of the question. we also have to discuss about the related and important aspects of the question in order to bring out a complete picture of the issue in hand.
Key demand of the question.
The question wants us to write in detail about the women’s movement in India during the 20th century. It wants us to discuss at length about the landmarks witnessed during the early years of the 20th century and bring out their significance.
Structure of the answer
Introduction– write a few introductory lines about the women’s movements in India. E.g
Body-
Discuss the important landmarks in women’s movements that marked the early 20th century India. E.g The early years of the 20th century marked two important landmarks in the history of the Indian women’s movement : the birth of nationwide women’s organizations and the beginning of women’s participation in the national movement. Certain core ideas surface repeatedly in the proceedings of women’s organizations such as the All-India Muslim Ladies’ Conference (Anjuman) 1914, the Women’s India Association (WIA) 1917, the National Council of Women in India (NCWI) 1925, and the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) 1926. A key idea was a belief that advancement of a society hinges on the progress of women; To resist the cultural onslaughts of the West and articulate one’s own cultural identity it became all the more important to project an image of womanhood, which would symbolize both the strength and distinctiveness of Indian tradition. This search for unsullied symbols of tradition somewhere rested with purdah,as debates within the Anjuman would indicate, and elsewhere with “deification” of Hindu/Indian womanhood as discussed by the WIA,Hindu militants and Gandhi etc.
Conclusion- based on your discussion, form a fair and a balanced conclusion on the given issue.
