THE WOMEN OF INDIA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22406, 30 April 1936, Page 4

THE WOMEN OF INDIA

BARRIERS BREAKING DOWN WEST AND EAST COMBINED Tlio prominent part that tho women of India are playing to-day in tho destinies of their country was bricily indicated in a talk with the Rev. C. F. Andrews, the noted authority on Indian affairs, who is at present visiting Auckland. Teeming though it is with innumerable castes, creeds and classes, a cosmopolitan spirit has been creeping over its people and the women have been taking a keen interest in education, in demanding freedom and uplift for their own sex, and in social service and politics. "In spite of their desire for creator freedom," said Mr. Andrews, 1 Indian women are not extremists; they have not become unsexed, nor have they lost that gentlo dignity that is so characteristic of them. They have not oven discarded their own Indian dress, no matter how Europeanised they may have become. I think there is no moio beautiful dress in tho world than that worn bv the women of India, and ccrtaihly nothing more graceful." A leader of tho women's movement is Amrit Kaur, daughter of a rajah who became a Christian, and her example has done much to stimulate other women to work for the betterment of their fellows. Two of the problems upon which women in India have concentrated are those of child marriage and the matter of purdah. " Child marriage," said Mr. Andrews, "is decreasing, and the seclusion of the purdah system is gradually lifting. Women, too, are taking a keen interest in education, but as yet they have not in general the same opportunities as men. The proportion of men to women who enter the university colleges where co-educa-tion is in existence is in the ratio of about five to one. Every year, however. the number of women graduates who pass out of the universities is_ increasing and many responsible positions are being taken up bv the women. Medicine, nursing, teaching, and the law have been thrown open to them and they have also entered into the public life of their country. There are women mayors, municipal councillors, members of the Senate, magistrates, members of education and health boards. I think this is a wonderful record, especially when one realises the short space of time in which this advance has been made." Mr. Andrews added that n particularly interesting feature of this advance is the fact that there has been little, if any, opposition to combat from tho men. On the contrary, they have been very interested and very ready to help and encourage the women to take these forward steps, particularly the younger men. "Indian women," he said, "are very intelligent, with keen, alert minds, and it would almost seem as though sub-consciously they have been preparing themselves for this advance." In further discussing the matter of education, Mr. Andrews said that, although from the Western point of view great • numbers of women might be considered uneducated, yet from another viewpoint this impression could hardly be considered correct. Even tho humblest villagers usually knew by heart and couli recite long passages from their Scriptures and from the great Indian epics. "When it is realised that these contain a great philosophy as well as profound religious and metaphysical teachings, the people that are familiar with them can never be considered uneducated," he added. Indian women were usually well trained in housecraft.

Mr. Andrews spoke of the deep respect, even reverence, in which Indian mothers were held by their sons. "It was a very beautiful thing to seo," he added.