Women's History Month: Inspiring Indian Women Who Have Paved The Way

Historically, women in India have been silenced and told to defer to men in power. In this piece, we recognize some feminist icons that have paved the way for women and girls today in India. Thanks to these badasses, there is much more equality for women - from getting an education to pursuing a career and beyond.  

Sarojini Naidu(1879-1949)

PHOTO: CNBC

"We want deeper sincerity of motive, a greater courage in speech and earnestness in action."

Sarojini Naidu, the face of women’s empowerment in India, sought to break barriers for women in India until the day she took her last breath in 1949 on National Women’s Day. Sarojini Naidu was a activist, leader, feminist, poet, and the first Indian woman to be president of the Indian National Congress and to be appointed as an Indian state governor. At only 12 years old, she attended college at the University of Madras and later received a scholarship to further her education in England. After her time in England she traveled extensively to talk about women’s empowerment. In 1917, she founded the Women’s Indian Association to further the fight for equal rights for Indian women. She also inspired women to join the struggle for freedom. In 1919, she worked aside Mahatma Gandhi as his most trusted assistant during the Civil Disobedience Movement. In 1925, she became the first woman president of Indian National Congress. In 1928, during an epidemic in India, she was honoured by the British government and was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for her work. Naidu was arrested multiple times for her activism and key role during many movements including the Quit India Movement.  She was sent to jail in 1942, and when she was released she became the first woman to achieve the role of governor in Independent India (Uttar Pradesh state). Today, India remembers her as the “Nightingale of India” and celebrates the copious work she has done for women. 

Savitribai Phule

(1831- 1897)

PHOTO: INDIA TODAY

Born in 1831 in Naigaon village in Maharashtra, Savitribai Phule was one of the first women in India to dedicate her life to the advancement of feminism. During this time, India was run by the British Raj and women’s rights were nonexistent. Savitribai did not know how to read or write as a child, but when she married her husband, Jyotirao Phule, at the age of 9, he decided to educate her when she would bring lunch to him in the fields. Jyotriao later sent Savitribai to school and in 1848, the couple established India’s first school for girls in Vishrambaug Wada, Pune. Only nine girls enrolled in their school, but the number of girls eventually rose to 25 and Savitribai became the headmistress. Teaching became a huge nightmare for Savitribai. She faced groups of orthodox men following her, throwing rotten eggs, cow dung, tomatoes and stones. One day, a crowd gathered to stop her. Savitribai slapped a man and went right along as the crowd dispersed! Between 1848 and 1852, Savitribai Phule established 18 schools for women and girls and she was honored for her work by the British government.The empowered couple went on to establish 52 boarding schools for orphaned children. In 1868, she opened a well in her house so that anyone could have access to water, because the people considered “untouchables” were denied even basic drinking water. Indias first feminist, Savitribai Phule, refused to bow down. Because of that, she has helped shape the lives of women in India.