Abstract
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar was a feminist at heart. Contrary to popular perception that he championed the cause of Dalits and dalit women, Babasaheb, as Ambedkar is fondly referred to, worked as a socio-political advocate for Dalit as well as upper caste Indian women concomitantly. In his quest to ensure freedom, equality, and individuality of Indian women, he resorted to the legalized mechanism and proposed sweeping constitutional provisions, famous as the Hindu code Bill, placing women at par with men in matters of inheritance and allowing them freedom to marry outside their caste. Contemplating the predicament and marginalized position of Indian women, he posited that caste and gender are intertwined. To maintain the system of caste, endogamy is a necessary condition that has an immense bearing on women. The imposition of endogamy was made compulsory by the Brahminical hierarchy, which was endorsed by Hindu religious scriptures to ensure women’s sustained subjectivity within the same caste groups or varnas. Ironically, the Bill, in Ambedkar’s own words was ‘killed and died unused and unsung’ following which he resigned from then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet in 1951 but the same bill was passed as four different bills between 1955 and 1956 during Nehru’s second term as prime minister (Elancheran, 2018). Unfortunately, Ambedkar’s contribution to the Indian women’s struggle has not been given its due. This paper attempts to explode the myth of the golden age of Indian womanhood and critiques the role of women reformist organizations in nineteenth century India as well as Ambedkar’s yeoman service to Indian women that has largely remained unacknowledged in public discourse.
 
 
 Key Words: Ambedkar, Hindu Code Bill, Manusmriti, Indian Women, Dalit Women, Indian Feminism, Caste, Patriarchy
Highlights
As independent India’s first law minster, Ambedkar drafted sweeping constitutional provisions, in his famous Hindu Code Bill guaranteeing gender equality in laws mainly pertaining to inheritance and marriage striking at the very roots of ‘graded-inequality’ of the Hindu caste system
The paper points to the reluctance of upper-class/caste feminist discourse that does not acknowledge Ambedkar and his works to bail out Indian women from their struggle
His exclusive writings regarding the development of the women in India are - The Women and the Counter-Revolution, The Hindu code Bill, Castes in India, Manu’s Madness or the Brahminic explanation of origin of missed castes, The Change from paternity to maternity: What did the Brahmins wish to gain by, Kali varjya or the Brahmanic art or suspecting the operation of sin without calling it sin, Compulsory matrimony, The Rise and fall of the Hindu women: who was responsible for it?, Progress of the Community is measured by progress of women. These writings establish Ambedkar as one of the greatest thinkers who sympathized with Hindu women’s lowly status in the hierarchical Hindu fold. While beginning with his intellectual rhapsody of venturing into caste and interlinking it with women’s position in Hindu religious system, Ambedkar powerfully initiated the deliberation on gender questions, which pointed out the exclusive nature of castes and the Hindu scripture Manusmirti as the compounding force behind Indian women’s marginalization
Summary
The paper points to the reluctance of upper-class/caste feminist discourse that does not acknowledge Ambedkar and his works to bail out Indian women from their struggle. Amongst many political and social movements initiated by Ambedkar to ensure an egalitarian society for everyone, he theorized extensively on women’s position in the Indian social system.
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