Women in the Hindu World by Mandakranta Bose;

Author:Mandakranta Bose;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2023-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

THE HERITAGE

Even on a quick reading of the poems quoted here it becomes clear that their authors were not only superb writers but also original thinkers, both philosophically and socially. Their deep spirituality apart, their assertion of independence from all dictates of society marks them out as revolutionary personalities. Whether there were others like them is impossible to tell. The real extent of written work by women in India has not been mapped, although the anthology of women’s writing in India by Susie Tharu and K. Lalita is a pioneering effort of very great value.27 But nobody has collected – nor is it feasible to do so – the poems, stories, and essays by women written for their private circles, such as in my own family. Nevertheless, what is available in the public domain is impressive enough, for the poets discussed above created a rich tradition of spirituality that is distinctive in its femininity of style and feeling. To their company we may add others who are less widely read, such as Jānābāi and Bahinābāi from Maharashtra,28 Ātukuri Mollā from Andhra, Gaṇgāsatī and Ratanbāī from Gujarat, Rāmi and Candrāvatī from Bengal.

In their and other women’s poetry we find an ever-widening variety of experience, perception, and poetic strategy as we travel down the ages, their work often coloured by their response to the restraints upon women’s lives and their pain. Good examples are poems by the early Marathi poet Jānābāi (1298–1350) and by a much later one, Bahinābāi (1628–1700), who also wrote in Marathi using the abhang form of lyric. Jānābāi comforts herself by recalling the common state of the world:

Let me not be sad because I am born a woman In the world; many saints suffer in this way29

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.