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The chains of the traditions and conventional walking or eating together encouraged sharing, and thinking could not be thrown off totally. As pointed a strong bond was established among the women. out by some scholars, "the struggle against a There are instances where pregnant women or common oppressor effectively diverted attention women with infants went to jail, and were looked from other potential conflicts within the social after by their women colleagues there. Their families system.” Moreover, since 'patriotism was subsumed were taken care of by others who also had faith in within religion', women's participation filled into the the nationalist ideals. Human elements of such traditional cultural matrix. It is also argued that experiences are guidelines for human behaviour in Gandhi recruited women to channel the energies the society. The activities of women in the nonof an emerging women's movement into the political violent freedom struggle give messages of inner movement he controlled. In addition, Gandhi created strength, simplicity, self-reliance and the need to a new myth of Indian womanhood, Sita - like in her identify with the deprived sections. Some women's devotion to service and self-sacrifice, whether in her
struggles like Chipko, anti-arrack and anti-dowry family or to her nation. In that context, the essential
agitations and working of some women's issues related to women's emancipation could not
organisations like Laxmi Ashram and SEWA be taken up.
indicate the strength of non-violent methods, which The magic of the Mahatma however were nurtured by women during the freedom encompasses the participation of women in the struggle freedom struggle. Women from different sections,
Women's participation in the non-violent classes, regions and religions were attracted to
freedom struggle has heralded a new era for the Gandhi. His calm words and non-violent ways of
nation as well as for women themselves. Though working made it possible for women to traverse
more than fifty years of independence have not effortlessly between their private world of home and
brought for women the liberation from exploitation public world of the nationalist struggle. He used the
and injustice, the experience of participation in the language they understood, he used the symbols they
freedom struggle has been very valuable. It has were familiar with. He gave the message of self
taught the women to aspire for freedom and to strive reliance through the charka and the use of
for it. Women have proved that they form an Swadeshi products. Women under Gandhi's leadership learnt that they should seek justice, never
important part of history, and they can make history. favours”. This important lesson of self-reliance is
Women struggling against injustice and deprived
sections aspiring for freedom in the twenty-first relevant for the next century also.
century also can take inspiration from the It has to be noted in this context that the women
experiences of the Indian women active in the nonused democratic and transparent methods during
violent freedom struggle. the non-violent struggle. There was no organised structure and hence no hierarchy. Women (and men
000
મણિભવન ગાંધી સંગ્રહાલય, too) usually sat in a circle, implying equality of all and reached all the members by devotional group
અંબા માતાના મંદિર સામે, songs. The informal atmosphere and activities like
ગીરગામ, મુંબઈ "You are so simple that you puzzle people, you are so honest that man doubt you."
Lorence Houseman 1931 . (ઑકટોબર- ૨૦૧૮, પ્રબુદ્ધ જીવન : ગાંધી સાર્ધ શતાબ્દી વિશેષાંક (સત્ય-અહિંસા-અપરિગ્રહ) (૧૦૭)
