WOMAN BEYOND WALLS: MYTH AND REALITY IN INDIAN CONTEXTS

From holding high status in ancient scriptures to being treated as mere possessions, the women of India have seen it all. Women are mostly portrayed as the ideal homemakers. Looking through the history books we only see names of kings and male warriors who gloriously win wars and conquer lands where as the names of the queens or women who manage not just the hectic palace duties but also administer the state in their absence are almost never seen. Only a very few women such as Rani Lakshmi Bhai and Razia Sultana who fought against the odds and rose beyond their limitations are seen as we flip pages.

Every other representation of women is either as beautiful court dancers or courtesans where only the physical beauty of the female body is glorified. No matter what be the status or ability of a woman, the society reduced her to a mere being responsible of home making and satisfying the needs of men. Women of India, now and then, are subject to uncompromising patriarchal rules that reduced her to a mere being, responsible of home making and satisfying the needs of men, irrespective of her status or abilities. India is a country where religious traditions and myths continue to define virtues and values of the role of a woman to which patriarchy forms the foundation. Indian women are always taught to be under the influence and dominion of a man. This is evident from our age-old practice where the daughter grows up under the umbrella of her father until marriage. After which she is moved under the umbrella of her husband and further under her son’s. She is convinced that she is not worthy independent and cannot survive without male support.

Women in India are taught that the greatest virtue of a woman’s life lies in selfless sacrifice for her husband and family. She is lessoned to always shy before men and to never sound louder or smarter than a man. The misconception that an image of a woman can only gain popularity through physical or sexual appeal, despite her other attributes, is an absurd trend within the society. While the public popularize and entertain such trends, a woman who publicly acknowledges her sexuality and identity is shamed. A woman who exhibits any other image other than that of an obedient housewife, withholding so called ‘Indian values’, is often shut from the society and considered unacceptable according to Indian culture. Hyper sexualization of female bodies is nothing new to India.

The representation of women in a society affects how a woman sees herself and other women. Women are often addressed with mere degrading nick names such as “doll”,“chick” or “ candy”, referred to as “ pussies “ and encouraged to be obedient and silent. This weak and feeble image of women that has been inherently passed on by patriarchy is what has anchored women’s development, self-respect, choices and identity since centuries. Women are veiled from realizing their true potential and value.

This book, Beyond a Thing of Beauty: An Enquiry into the Life of Indian Woman, is an attempt to look into the lives of women in different echelons of the society and to portray their experiences, struggles and the truths behind being an Indian woman in it’s true and unembellished form.