JAGANNATH

I t is rightly said that a nation’s progress is tied inadvertently with the amount of freedom its women enjoy in the society. The statement by Jawaharlal Nehru “You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of women” encapsulates the vision for women in the Indian nation that the architects of our nation had for the women of a free land soon after independence. It speaks of the vision Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar enshrined in the Indian Constitution which demands equal rights for women as men. Even the Vedic literature accords a high place for women and says that gods send prosperity the household that treats women well. However, over time, distortions and falsehood made their way in human minds and, perhaps, some of these impairments led to the lowly status that women were shunted into in previous ages. It does us no good to dwell in the past and bemoan the injustices done to women. What is important to recognize is that with the rise of the nation since independence, the