Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c11.s14: Ramabai

Vāda in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c11.s14

Language
English

Ramabai

c11.s14.1

Paṇḍitā Ramabai was born one year after the Sepoy Mutiny, i.e. in 1858. Her father Anant Shastri Dongre was a Koṅkanastha “Chitpavan” brāhmaṇa and himself a great *paṇḍit*. He was subjected to condemnation for his attempts at women’s education. He tried to teach Sanskrit to his first wife and did not succeed in the attempt. His second wife along with her two daughters used to learn Sanskrit with him. Anant Shastri was severely criticized for this, but he dared to challenge the orthodox *paṇḍits*. A *dharmasabhā* was held to take him to task. During the course of a prolonged debate he silenced the opponents by citing 300 references from the Dharmaśāstras to prove that teaching Veda to women is permitted in the law books. Even though the fundamentalists were defeated in the debate, Anant Shastri was cast out by the society.

c11.s14.2

He became a recluse, found shelter in Gaṅgāmūla forest (near Mangalore) and ran a Sanskrit *pāṭhaśālā* over there. He was forced to quit this place also and became a life-long pilgrim with his wife and three children, youngest of them was Ramabai, a few months of age. Sitting on her mother's lap, Ramabai learnt *Aṣṭādhyāyī* and some thousands of Sanskrit verses including *Gītā* from her father. Anant Shastri won instant admiration of the folk because of his saintly life and command over Sanskrit texts, but had to run from pillar to post as people were antagonized due to his progressive outlook in teaching women.

c11.s14.3

Ramabai came into contact with Swami Dayananda, studied Vaiśeṣika philosophy with him. Swamiji wanted her to work for the Arya Samaj movement. She however could not come in terms with him. Brahmo Samaj inducted her into the efforts to popularize women's education through public lectures. She also worked for Prārthanā Samāj in Mumbai.

c11.s14.4

In her book *The High Caste Hindu Women* Ramabai herself initiated a debate on the predicament and suffering a Hindu women undergoes. Ramabai draws a sharp contrast with Anandibai Joshi, who was related to her. Ramabai, Anandibai Joshi and Rakhmabai are three faces of Hindu women of nineteenth/early twentieth century.

c11.s14.5

Ramabai was honoured and the titles of Paṇḍitā and Sarasvatī. She was given the title of Paṇḍitā in a ceremony by Maharaja Jyotindra Moha Thakur in Bengal, and the title of Sarasvatī was conferred upon her by a progressive society of Bengal. *Morals for Women* was the English translation of her first book *Strīdharmanīti* in Marathi (1882). *The High Caste Hindu Women* was published in June 1887. On 29 September 1883 Ramabai was baptized along with her daughter Manorama. She was severely criticized in India and several periodicals like *Induprakash*, *Subodhpatrika* and *Marahatla*, condemned her. Only Jyotiba Phule stood with her.

c11.s14.6

The *Maharatta*, western India’s socially conservative English language weekly, sought to negate Ramabai’s achievements through patriarchal strategy. It installed Anandibai Joshi as an alternative role model and the real icon of Indian womenhood, a conventional wife, submissive to her husband despite her huge professional education, and more importantly still formally within the Hindu fold, even after spending some years in USA (*Maharatta*, 2 July 1886).¹⁰³

c11.s14.7

The greatest support to Ramabai came from social reformers like Deshmukh, Ranade, Bhandarkar, Telang — they were also on the Advisory Board of Sharda Sadan, opened in 1889. Agarkar championed her cause through his journalistic writings. But Jyotiba Phule was the only person amongst her Indian supporters who also endorsed her conversion.¹⁰⁴

Linked texts (2)