Paying tribute to Begum Rokeya
Begum rokeya became
a trailblazer in the education and modernisation of Bengali Muslim women. She was
the pioneer in helping them to obtain education and become involved in
public life
Begum Roquia Sakhawat Hussain, popularly known as Begum Rokeya, whose birth and death anniversary was observed yesterday, was a pioneering and iconic figure in the struggle for gender equity and other social issues in the early 20th century. She is often considered to be Bengals earliest and boldest women rights activist and one of the best woman writer as well.
A famous literary critic once described her as the embodiment of the soul and conscience of her age. With great diligence and courage she strived to better the lot of women in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. In order to create awareness among Muslim women she walked from door to door and organised them under the banner of Anjuman-i-Khawatin-i-Islam (Islamic Sisters Group). She did this at a time when womens participation in such organisational or political work was unimaginable.
We must remember that when Begun Rokeya worked for the cause of womens emancipation this was almost an alien concept even in the West. Begum Rokeya believed that men and women were created differently, but equally. In her views, the subjugated position of women was not due to Allahs will, but due to the immorality of the entrenched patriarchy. She believed that social systems like seclusion and purdah intentionally made women unfit and weak for survival in the public realm. She summoned women to overthrow the invisible bondages of their brains, to strip off the transparent patriarchal exploitation.
Begum Rokeya was brought up in the strictest form of conservatism practiced by elite Muslims of the time. In spite of that she became the fiercest critic of the system in later years that gives us an idea of the immense insight she had about her life and times. She was not only an intellectual force on behalf of rights of women but also an activist. Way back in March 1911, she set up a school named Sakhawat Memorial School for Girls (which still is spreading the light of education), for the purpose of educating Muslim girls.
Begum Rokeya, who never had the opportunity to step into a school in childhood, became a trailblazer in the education and modernisation of Bengali Muslim women. She was the pioneer in helping our women to obtain education and become involved in public life. She broke the wall of domestic incarceration and brought women out of domestic confinement.
The great lady remains very much relevant today. The need to challenge structural and systemic suppression of women is not over. What is more, women of poor economic backgrounds are yet to get an equal share in the gender equality achieved so far.
