Improving the lot of women

WOMEN'S EDUCATION THROUGH THE AGES: N. L. Gupta; Concept Publishing Company, A/15-16, Commercial Block, Mohan Garden, New Delhi-110059. Rs. 350.

THIS BOOK sets out to portray, in a wide canvas, women's education through several periods of the country's history including the Vedic times, the Muslim rule, the British rule and the post-Independence era.

Interestingly, the socio-cultural currents of the past, which encompassed such obnoxious practices like child marriage and the burning of widows (Sati) are delineated vividly. Writing about Sati, the author points out that the replacement of one letter, ``r'' by ``n'' in ``agre'' to ``agne'' resulted in widow marriage turning into widow burning. ``Max Mueller rightly describes this vicious replacement as the most flagrant instance of what can be done by an unscrupulous priesthood.''

Sati was banned throughout India including the native states in 1862 A.D. thanks to the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and the Edict passed by Lord Bentinck. It is very unfortunate that even today instances of Sati are being reported.

The author refers to a number of panels in the post-Independence era which recommended several steps to improve the condition of women. The Hansa Mehta Committee on differentiation of curricula for boys and girls (1961-62), appointed by the National Council for Women's Education, urged that co-education should be adopted as the general pattern at the elementary stage; at the secondary and collegiate levels, the panel suggested that freedom should be given to managements and parents to evolve either co-educational type of schools/institutions or establish separate ones for girls.

The Kothari Education Commission (1964-66) wanted the gap between the education of men and women to be closed within a short time span. It is heartening to note that women's education has now come into its own, albeit after a long and arduous struggle over the decades.

The appendices and the bibliography are quite valuable giving as they do an idea of the historical backdrop of events. The author deserves congratulations for making a very good contribution to the corpus of knowledge on women's education.

T. RAJAGOPALAN

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