The Contemporary Hindu Women of India: An Overview

Abstract

Hinduism is one of the provoking and widespread religions of the world. It raises a lot of
questions in the minds of the believers of another religion. I have the same quest to gain
more knowledge about it, apart from gaining through books I luckily got the opportunity of
visiting India and analyzing the trends amongst the people. Nevertheless, it was the female
community of India that aroused curiosity and inclined me to share an overview of them.
Hinduism as a religion opposes the role of women and gives them no respect at all. In
addition to that, the Holy Scripture, Vedas, also negates their significance all the more. In
olden times, people being quite conventional, thoroughly practiced the injunctions laid by
the religion such as sati, being subordinate to males and no access to education, etc.
However, with changing trends, a new horizon has dawned upon India and its women have
earned much liberty. Today, many women in India have opted liberal professions and are
fighting for civil rights, owing much to their perseverant leader Indhra Gandhi. At present,
Indian women have gained social, economic, educational, professional and political
freedom of some sort and their status has thus elevated in society. However, in an attempt to
redefine and reform India, some fundamentalists are trying to bring back conventionalism
amongst women, thus shadowing them once again in the darkness of ignorance.
Nevertheless, such an impediment is fightable and as compared to the old era, contemporary
Hindu women of India have traveled a long way and gradually approaching near their
destination of complete independence from the male domineering society.