dr ambedkar on purdah

[Guest guest]

Namaskar Mitra,

Excerpts from a book'Thoughts on Pakistan' written by the father of the Indian

Constitution, Dr B R Ambedkar in 1941. A precis of the book with analysis would

be up on esamskriti shortly.

"Purdah system - That something more is the compulsory Purdah system for women.

As a consequence a system of segregation of Muslim women is brought about.

‘Friends have reproduced excerpts of purdah impact’. All of them are confined

to the same room, not expected to visit outer rooms. These burkha clad women

walking on the streets is one of the most hideous sights one can witness in

India. Such seclusion cannot but have its deteriorating effects upon the

physical constitution of Muslim women. They are usually victims of anaemia,

tuberculosis and pyorrhea. Their bodies are deformed with their backs bent etc.

Ribs, bones and nearly all their bones ache. Heart palpation is very often

present in them. The result of this pelvic deformity is untimely death at the

time of delivery. Purdah deprives Muslim women of mental & moral nourishment.

Further they become narrow and restricted in their outlook. Being deprived of a

healthy social life, the process of moral degeneration sets in. They have no

desire for knowledge, because they are taught not to be interested in nothing

outside four walls of the house. It makes them helpless, timid & unfit to fight

life.

The origin of purdah lies of course in the deep-rooted suspicion of sexual

appetites in both sexes and the purpose is to check them by segregating the

sexes. But far from achieving that purpose, it has adversely affected the

morals of Muslim women. They have limited contact with the outside world; the

men have no company of females except children & aged. The isolation of the

males from the females is sure to produce bad effects on the morals of men. It

requires no psychoanalyst to say that a social system that cuts off all contact

between the two sexes produces an unhealthy tendency towards sexual excesses &

unnatural and other morbid ways & habits.

Purdah is also responsible for social segregation of Hindus from Muslims, which

is the bane of public life in India. The Hindus do not want to establish social

contact because it means contact between a Muslim man with a Hindu lady and

Hindu man. Surely Purdah is found amongst a section of the Hindus too but it

lacks religious sanctity, as is the case with the Muslims. ‘Friends what the

Hindu ladies do is to have a ghoonghat, meaning covering of the head & face.

Again it is more prevalent today in smaller towns & villages. A number of

ladies cover their heads only as a mark of respect to elders. However, Hindu

women do not wear another layer of clothing like Muslim women do'.

Thus there is stagnation in the social life of the Muslims. But there is also

stagnation in the political life of the Muslim community in India. Their

predominant interest is religion. Muslim politics is essentially clerical and

recognizes only one difference namely that existing between Hindus and Muslims.

None of the secular categories of life have any place in the politics of the

Muslim community and if they do find a place – they are subordinated to one and

the only governing principle of the Muslim political universe, namely Religion.

"

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