Author Monica Lakhmana Discusses Importance of Reviving Hidden Narratives of Indian Women

NCERT is considering a proposal to include ' Women In Pre & Post Independent India : 75 Victories, Visionaries, Voices'--a book focusing on 75 unsung women that was recently released across national libraries--as a reference book. Its author Monica Lakhmana , a history major who did not know of many of the freedom fighters before writing the book, talks to Sharmila Ganesan Ram about the importance of reviving these hidden narratives

The cover of your book bears a black and white image of a woman in a polka dotted sari. Who is she?

Choosing a book cover was a very emotional decision for me. I was looking to create a cover which communicated the genre at a glance and did justice to the narratives of very strong and empowered Indian women in my book. When I looked at this photograph, I saw a stunning woman draped in a zari sari, wearing an armlet and jewelry. There was an unspoken sense of confidence, implied through her smile and posture. I knew in that instant, that this image was what I had been searching for as a book cover for a year. The expression on her face could be attributed to a maharani, a freedom fighter or a 21st century woman born to rule. The lady on the book cover is unknown, photographed during the 1910s or 1920s.

The book is chronological and divided into three sections -- Victories, Visionaries and Voices. What drove this creative choice?

While working on the title and themes for my book, I was clear that I wanted to share narratives of forgotten women from diverse backgrounds and began by making a list of over a hundred educators, activists, freedom fighters, poets, writers and revolutionaries who had exceptional stories to tell. I then shortlisted 75 women to coincide with 75 years of Independence. Finding documentation was a challenge. I began by combing through archives and researching the heroics of the Indian Ranis , their advisors and women considered among the early freedom fighters as I believed that penning their ‘victories’ in a book would be of significance. Later, the more I read about the women nationalists of the 19th and early 20th century and their active participation in the freedom struggle , the more I was convinced of their ability to imagine a free India, they were the ‘visionaries’ of India. This section has 57 chapters and is very central to the book. I further expanded the scope to bring forward the ‘voices’ of the present-day 21st century women whose journeys I got to hear about firsthand. In our conversations over the course of many months, they shared their childhood influences, dreams and role models. Further they touched upon their aspirations and successes as well as their setbacks, breaking barriers and biases. Most importantly their vision for themselves, their family and for India.

Who are some of the queens, nation builders and present voices that stumped you in particular?

Maharani Jindan Kaur for her resilience. For not giving up on her state, sitting at the table and leading an empire against all odds. Young but very intelligent, the Maharani ‘stood her ground against the British’ and ‘actively took charge’ of her kingdom. Her influence was so intimidating that the British not only feared her but her impact on her son Duleep Singh. Bhikaji Cama for campaigning for India’s independence while living in exile. The fact that she was feared by the British, in spite of not living in India! They wrote to her in London that her return to India would be subject to the promise that she would not take part in the Nationalist Movement. She of course refused to make any such promise and remained in exile. Recent works of non-fiction have tried to revive the histories of unsung women nation-builders, many of which are names that have been featured in your book.

Why are these efforts important and how does your work stand out from these other works, in your view?

In spite of being a history student, I knew so little about women freedom fighters and learnt so much in the course of writing for 18 hours a day over a few months at one point. I don’t think 75 narratives of women have been collated and compiled in one single book before. It’s most necessary for the purpose of informing future generations about past events and the ‘telling of history,’ of the fearless and sharp women of India, only then can present-day India be called truly inclusive. The details of the lives of the unsung women nation-builders are so limited that present-day archives have vague at times contradictory facts to support and interpret the records. One of the reasons could be the fact that historical events were written by colonial historians from the colonists' standpoint, and were thus biased in many ways. We have so few stories of the brave women and I do believe that Indian history books remain incomplete without the narratives of these inspirational women. One would believe that these women played a very small part in our fight for freedom when in effect, their vision for a free India needs much more attention and credit than what's documented. These women were not mute spectators to what was happening in colonial India but actively participated in the struggle for freedom.

What were some of the underreported challenges that the women encountered in the process of Independence?

The first nationalist mass movement called the Swadeshi Movement began in August 1905 after the partition of Bengal. At the beginning of this very structured Independence movement, the women contributed through boycotts and restricted imported products at their homes. When Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915, he started the satyagraha movement and in 1920 the non cooperation movement was Gandhi’s way of winning the British over to free India. Women took to fasting, prayers spinning, protesting, picketed shops, boycotted government institutions etc. The women united and participated in large numbers, they were arrested, put in jail and post their release they restarted their freedom struggle. During this time several young women revolutionaries started to work aggressively for India’s freedom. In the memoirs they wrote of the brutal environment of the state run prisons with inedible food and the harsh conditions that they were put through in prison. Women were punished to serve terms of rigorous imprisonment for having attended meetings, imprisoned for years and were not given a fair hearing because they participated in the fight for freedom.

You gave up a 24-year corporate career to begin a non-profit that trains women to be independent entrepreneurs...

I started a registered NGO which concentrated on training women to be independent way back in 2013 while I was with a prominent global organization that encouraged us to recruit and develop the skills of local staff through integrated community-based interventions and implementing a host of programs. I had learned a lot during my time with the Tata’s, therefore the transition was seamless. During COVID several women who were part of the not for profit relocated to their villages and that’s the time I launched my skincare brand and recently my interior design studio. As a person I am fairly confident and am not easily disappointed or doubtful of what next. Both the ‘now’ and the ‘why’ is of importance, which enabled me to write my book.

In the backdrop of dismal figures of women's participation in the workforce in India, what--in your view--would the visionaries of yore say to the new voices?

India has the largest working-age population in the world and by 2030 this will be nearly 70 percent. Low women participation in the workforce will be detrimental towards India’s global growth and our aspiration of $7 trillion GDP by 2030. As per a recent research women spend 7.2 hours on unpaid domestic work compared to 2.8 hours spent by men. If there is an increase in the number of salaried women, it would impact the gender gap earnings and therefore women’s economic participation in the country. I think I can hear the visionaries say to the new voices: “Come together! We did and got you freedom, and now you owe it to all the women after you, so much work is still to be done.”

What are some of the immediate changes you would like to see in the system as a woman in India?

Social protection, safety and quality of employment for women. Much more support is required in terms of care infrastructure and equal distribution of work at home. Besides financial independence for senior women citizens by law and assisted living especially for women who are alone and dependent, I'd like to see larger representation of women directors on company Boards. One director is still tokenistic. Women working in leadership positions must support their women colleagues, create a culture of equality, sponsor and promote them to senior positions, increase opportunities for them, and mentorship is an excellent way to pay it forward. In fact, I'd like to suggest that the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha invite women to the parliament to bring up critical women-related issues.