Samipya 1991 Vol 08 Ank 01 02

Author(s): Pravinchandra C Parikh, Bhartiben Shelat
Publisher: Bholabhai Jeshingbhai Adhyayan Sanshodhan Vidyabhavan

Page 100

Role of Urban Women in the Indian Freedom Struggle-with Special Reference to the City of Ahmedabad (1920-1947)
Usha Bhatt
This paper inteads to review the role of urban women in the Indian freedom struggle with two different aspects. Firstly, the role of urban women in the unique experiment which was in subconscious mind of Gandhiji and secondly, the participation of women directly or indirectly in the field of social development.
The first aspect deals with the role of urban women in the experiment regarding the integration of female as well as male consciousness in a human personality, which may ultimately lead to the emergence of integral human consciousness, which in its turn may help to reconstruct human society on the basis of love, non-violence and truth. In this context, to some extent the role of women in Indian freedom struggle, living in the urban segment of the society seems to have its roots in this experiment. This experiment tried to give a shape to the society which may be O value oriented, mainly on the values of truth, non-violence and love and (ii) with the touch of spirituality that may be even experiment in the direction to spiritualice politics. In order to understand the experiment there is need to go through Gandhiji's concept of spirituality.
A historical study of woman leadership and the role of Gandhiji in the city of Ahmedabad (1920-1947)1 helps us to understand the experiment of the spiritualization of a woman's personality.2 Gandhiji tried to give a touch of spirituality to a woman's personality. While doing this Gandhiji tried to handle the tradition-change relationship in a masterly way. He took the tradition of spirituality and presented it before the women in such a way that it helped to activise them in the movements. Looking to the spirit of the experiment as previously stated the experiment was to have integration of male-female consciousness in a human personality. The unmarried. married, widows, the woman deserted by their husbands, young and old, all participated in the movements. The women who were in position to have the slightest touch of the experiment, to some extent, were in position to play meaningful and note-worhty role in the movements. In order to understand the experiment, Gandhiii's expectation from a woman is worth mentioning. Gandhiji writes : "Let her tranfer that love to the whole humanity, let her forget she ever was or can be the obiect of man's lust. And she will occupy her proud position by the side of man as his
*
Reader, Department of History, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad
96 )
[Samipya : April '91-March, 1992