Feminism in India - A Conversation with Indian Feminist

[Guest guest]

Feminism in India - A Conversation with Indian Feminist

Sarojini Sahoo

An interview by Linda Lowen

About.com

 

A distinguished feminist writer, novelist, and author of

several short story anthologies, Sarojini Sahoo was born in

1956 in Orissa, India. She earned MA and Ph.D. degrees in

Oriya literature - as well as a Bachelor of Law degree - from

Utkal University. A college instructor, she has been honored

with a number of awards and her works have been translated

into several languages.

 

Many of Dr. Sahoo's writings deal candidly with female

sexuality, the emotional lives of women, and the intricate

fabric of human relationships. Her blog, Sense &

Sensuality, explores why sexuality plays a major role in our

understanding of Eastern feminism.

 

LL: Is feminism in India different from feminism in the

West?

 

SS: At one time in India - in the ancient Vedic period -

there were equal rights between men and women and even

feminist law makers like Gargi and Maitreyi . But the later

Vedic period polarized the sexes. Males oppressed females

and treated them as 'other' or similar to a lower caste.

 

Today, patriarchy is just one of the hierarchies which keep

females down, oppressed by the traditional system.

 

LL: So what does this mean for men and women who

marry? In the West we like to think of marriage as an equal

partnership. Couples marry for love; few would consider an

arranged marriage.

 

SS: In India, arranged marriages are always preferred. Love

marriages are viewed as a social sin and are regarded with

shame. Many Indians contend that arranged marriages are

more successful than marriages in the West, where

staggering divorce rates are the rule. They argue that

romantic love does not necessarily lead to a good marriage,

and often fails once the passion dissipates, whereas real love

flows from a properly arranged union between two

individuals.

 

Unwed mothers, separated, single or unfaithful women are

considered outcasts. Living out of wedlock with a partner is

still virtually unheard of. An unmarried daughter -- seen as a

spinster even in her late twenties -- brings shame upon her

parents, and is a burden. But once married, she is considered

the property of her in-laws.

 

LL: Is this where the concept of the dowry comes in?

Westerners seem fascinated by the idea of a dowry, along

with the disturbing stories of what happens when a dowry is

seen as inadequate.

 

SS: Yes, the marriage of the bride and groom requires the

bride's father to pay dowries -- large amounts of money,

furniture, jewelry, expensive household items and even

homes and expensive foreign holidays to the bridegroom.

And of course you are alluding to the term " bride burning, "

which was coined in India after several young brides had

their saris lit on fire in front of a gas stove either by their

husbands or in-laws because of their father's failure to meet

demands for a bigger dowry.

 

In India, as there is the custom and tradition of joint family,

a bride has to face her tyrannical in-laws, and traditional

Hindu society still rejects divorcees.

 

LL: What are the rights and roles of women in society?

 

SS: In religious rituals and customs, females are barred from

taking part in all worship. In Kerala, females are not

allowed to enter in the Ayeppa temples. They are also

barred from worshiping the God Hanuman and in some

regions they are barred from even touching the 'linga' idol of

Lord Shiva.

 

In politics, recently all political parties have promised to

reserve 33% of legislative seats for women in their

manifesto, but this has not been passed into law as the male-

dominated parties oppose the bill.

 

In financial matters, although women are permitted to work

outside of the home, their rights on any household matters

have always been denied. A woman has to take charge of

the kitchen, even if she is a wage-earning member of the

household and holds down a job outside of the home. The

husband will not take charge of kitchen even if he is

unemployed and at home all day, as a man who cooks for

his family violates the laws of manhood.

 

Legally, although the court recognizes that sons and

daughters have equal rights regarding patriarchal property,

those rights are never exercised; today as in generations

past, ownership changes hands from father to husband to

son and the rights of a daughter or a daughter- in-law are

denied.

 

LL: Much of your work focuses on women and sexuality.

What can you tell us about Eastern women in that regard?

 

SS: To understand Eastern feminism, one must understand

the important role sexuality plays in our culture.

 

Let's consider a girl's situation during adolescence. If she

becomes pregnant, the male partner is not blamed for his

role. It is the girl who has to suffer. If she accepts the child,

she suffers a great deal socially and if she has an abortion,

she suffers emotionally for the rest of her life.

 

In the case of a married woman, she encounters many

restrictions with respect to sexuality whereas her male

partner is free from these restrictions. Women are denied the

right to express themselves as sexual beings. They are

discouraged from taking an active role or even allowing

themselves to experience the act as pleasurable. Women are

taught that they should not be open to their sexual desires.

 

Even today in Eastern countries, you will find many married

women who have never experienced an orgasm. If a female

admits to feeling sexual pleasure, her own husband may

misunderstand her and regard her as a bad woman, believing

she has engaged in premarital sex.

 

When a woman reaches menopause, the changes brought

about by this biological phenomenon often cause a woman

to suffer self-doubt. Mentally, she sees herself as disabled

because she cannot meet the sexual needs of her husband.

 

I think that until now in many Asian and African countries,

the patriarchal society has held control over sexuality. So

for us to realize feminism, Eastern women need two types of

liberation. One is from financial slavery and the other is

from the restrictions imposed on female sexuality. Women

are always victims; men are oppressors.

 

I believe in the theory that " a woman's body is a woman's

right. " By that I mean women should control their own

bodies and men should take them seriously.

 

LL: You are known for pushing the envelope, openly

discussing female sexuality in your stories and novels in a

way that hadn't been done before. Isn't that risky?

 

SS: As a writer, I have always sought to paint the sexuality

of my characters in opposition to the Indian concept of

patriarchy, where women's sexuality is limited to raising

children only and there was no place for women's sexual

desire. [....]

 

In my various stories I have discussed lesbian sex, rape,

abortion, infertility, failed marriage and menopause. These

are not topics that have been discussed in Indian literature

by women, but I focus on them to begin a dialogue about

female sexuality and to help bring about change.

 

Yes, it is risky for a woman writer to deal with these themes

in an Eastern country, and for that I face much criticism. But

still I believe someone has to bear this risk to accurately

portray women's feelings - the intricate mental agony and

complexity which a man can never feel - and these must be

discussed through our fiction.

 

 

http://womensissues.about.com/od/feminismequalrights/a/FeminisminIndia

..htm

 

Sarojini Sahoo's Blog, Sense & Sensuality

http://sarojinisahoo.blogspot.com/