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JANUARY, 1971
Then turning to man:
The woman has no place in the society of man The woman has no respect in the society of man
Hark, ye man! thy torture won't last ;
Hark, ye man! no more ye be able to carry thy sinful acts Hark ye man! no more be tolerated thy misbehaviour Hark ye man! no more will deceive thy lip-deep love. (pp. 72-73)
And to woman :
Woman!
Woman!
Don't ye have any honour ?
Woman! Is there no trace of life in thy thinking? (p. 73)
Don't ye have any awakening ? Don't ye have any feeling ?
Who else can write words like these but one charged with the democratic ideal of equality between men and women. Fortunately during the past one hundred years the cause of female emancipation has progressed much, though there is much leeway still to be made up. But think of the age in which Sita lived-several millennia prior to the present age! The poet heralds a new age in the following words :
Woman! ye have to rise on thy own strength
Ye have to discard artificial cover
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Ye cannot afford to run away by losing balance
Ye have to hurl the novel weapon of revolt for Truth. (p. 74)
And this he does because Indian womanhood which held so high a place throughout history cannot be lowered in any way. For, if the prestige of women is lowered or lost, what else remains? So says the poet :
Indian woman has remained illustrious
It was her chastity alone that flashed
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throughout history
the entire edifice. (p. 177)
Noble words indeed! The Rama-story apart, even as a piece of poetry, Agni-pariksa's claim to rank as a classic is very high.
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