REVIEWS
ENGLISH
Woman and Society: By N. A. Sarma
(Introduction by Sri Kamaladevi–Padmaja Publications, Baroda, Price Rs. 4/-).
Sri Sarma’s book is a scholarly treatise on a live
topic. His style is facile and even the chapter which gives a sketch of the
historic growth of feminism, which might ordinarily tax the reader, is not
heavy. His is a scientific approach to the subject of feminism. As any ardent
feminist would feel, and justly too, he sums up thus: “Woman’s place in society
is one of the reliable criteria for assessing social progress. It is possible
to correlate emancipation of womanhood and human development. She must be free
to shape her career and her life, and it is only through such free development
that the degree and differentiation in the natural abilities of man and woman
can be realised and gauged.”
A noteworthy contribution of the author to the much
debated subject of feminism is in making it explicit that a career, domestic
life and motherhood are not inimical to one another. Since the modern woman is
growing conscious of new values in life, he urges that it is the duty of
society to so arrange that a career would not supplant but supplement home
life. He cites the example of Soviet Russia and Sweden as an ‘eye opener’ to
other societies. In Sweden particularly, motherhood is a happy prospect to
contemplate because of Sweden’s two planned policies, viz., while having
complete equality of opportunity with man, woman is given all facilities for
the promotion of security and happiness in family life through the provision of
educational, medical, and health services; also through recreation and cultural
facilities, and maternity and child welfare benefits both in cash and kind, the
emancipated woman cherishes motherhood with pride.
Great truth lies in the author’s statement that not
a differentiation of sex but the fact of common humanity should be the deciding
factor. With the harmonious development of the personality of men and women
alike, the community will achieve progress. There are thinkers of merit who
have made much of the biological and psychological difference between man and
woman. According to this view, woman’s emotional nature is said to be a great
drawback in her fight for equality. But Sri Sarma has succeeded in pointing out
that emotion is an essential quality, ennobling woman. It is because of her
depth of emotion that she is capable of universal love. By nature, woman is a
lover of welfare, peace and harmony. In woman the element of feeling leads to
positive action, to remedy the ills of society. The author recognises that
woman’s sentiments are fine and creative. Emotion is the basis for creative
imagination. These two together further civilisation. Men are by no means
devoid of emotion, but their feeling’s often manifest themselves in destructive
action like warfare.
Sri Sarma’s work would have been exhaustive, had he
been more explicit in describing woman as a religious animal. In spite of
equality, and economic, political, and intellectual freedom, anything that does
not help to stir the latent potentialities, i.e., the faith element in her,
will not appeal to her. Woman happens to be the earliest and the best educator
of the human race. She perceives the one truth behind all the great religions.
Only such knowledge can combat the fanaticism leading to communal hatred and
massacres. In a country like India, where diverse creeds and faiths are allowed
to survive, it is not possible to wipe out religion nor can an artificial
geographical barrier solve the problem. Hence the urgent need for a rational
interpretation of religion. To do this in a peaceful manner, woman is eminently
fitted. She must be given maximum opportunities to develop her ‘spiritual
self’.
Indian Writers in Council:–(Proceedings of the First All India Writers’ Conference, Jaipur,
20-22nd October 1945, organised by the All India Centre of the P.E.N.–Edited by
Dr. K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar. Published by the International Book House Ltd.,
Ash Lane, Fort, Bombay. Price Rs.7-8-0.)
The Indian P.E.N. has done excellent pioneering
work in the matter of promoting contacts among the English educated literary
persons working m the Indian languages. Madame Sophia Wadia, its gifted
Founder, has devoted herself to this work in a spirit of dedication; and the First
Conference of Indian Writers at Jaipur, meeting on the invitation of Sir Mirza
Ismail in that ancient city, afforded ample proof of her great organising
ability and of the abiding value of the great work she had undertaken.
Distinguished literary men from all over India participated–distinguished alike
in literature and in public life–and delivered learned and interesting
discourses like “The Development of the Indian Literatures as a uniting force”
by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, “Popularisation of Indian Literatures outside
India” by Mrs. Gertrude Emerson Sen, “Moral values in Literature” by Dr. S.
Radhakrishnan, “Fellowship of learning and International Intellectual
Co-operation” by Sir Rustum Masani, “The Philosophical Basis of toleration” by
Mr. Kshiti Mohan Sen, “The Indian Law of Copyright” by Sir Maurice Gwyer,
“Aesthetic Values in Literature” by Sri N.C. Mehta, and “A Vernacularist’s
Confession of Faith” by Sri Masti Venkatesa Iyengar. In this compilation are
also included papers submitted to the Conference, like “Conditions of Freedom
in Literature” by Sri D. V. Gundappa and “Freedom and Creative Imagination” by
Prof. Humayun Kabir, which amply repay perusal. The organisers and the Editor
deserve congratulations on making the proceedings available to a wider public
in this permanent form, though one feels that the verbatim reproduction of the extempore
remarks made in the course of discussion, often inconsequential and
desultory in character, may well have been omitted or considerably abridged.
Suggestions were made regarding the protection of
the rights of Indian writers with the help of the Indian Copyright Law and the
compilation of an All India Encyclopaedia which one hopes will be implemented
in due course.
The Second Session of the All India Writers’
Conference met recently at Benares. It is a matter for great gratification
that, amidst the turmoils of contemporary Indian Life, this movement which is
of enduring significance is not merely kept alive but gathering strength and
momentum.
K.S.G.
India, A Conflict of Culture: By Kewal Motwani (Thacker & Co, Bombay, 1947. Pp. xv-99. Price Rs.
3/-)
This book purports to give a ‘correct picture’ of
the conflict between an alien culture and the age-old culture of India, from a
‘scientific and sociological viewpoint’. It is a long lament on the evils of
the culture of the machine and science, (though the author is often in two
minds on the question, as when he says, ‘both science and machine will have to
be pressed into service to counteract the poison of communalism’), and an
excited plea for the true Indian ideal of ‘power through repose’, and ‘calm
relaxed reflexion’. The author starts with the ‘Birth of India as an Idea in
the mind of the Maker’ and arrives, after some adventurous thinking, at the conclusion,
‘The future has no silver lining’! The book is full of attractive
over-statements and facile generalisations. The following are a few examples:
‘We have no torchbearers of Truth.’ ‘Gandhiji has never paid any attention to
the interplay of world forces.’ ‘Not one Vice-Chancellor (in India) has the
ghost of an idea of educational problems.’
N. K.
Gandhi, Tagore and Nehru: By K. R. Kripalani, (Hind Kitabs Ltd., Bombay, 1947. Pp. 104, Price Re.
1-8/-)
This book is a collection of ten essays by a scintillating
writer. They may well be considered as his answers to a question paper of a
Free India University, reading as follows: 1.Compare and contrast the ideals
and achievements of Tagore and Gandhi. 2. Write what you know of the Sindhi
poet, Shah Latif. 3. Describe, briefly, the relations between Andrews,
Rothenstien and Tagore. 4. “Nehru without Gandhi would be ineffective, and
Gandhi without Nehru, incomplete”: Comment. 5. Illustrate from Tagore’s
writings his attitude to the Soviet State. 6. ‘As for myself,’ India from now
on is not a foreign land.’ (Romain Rolland, 1923.) Bring out the significance
of the words, ‘from now on’. 7. Do you recommend Britain as a model for India
in the adoption of non-violence in public life? Give reasons……Most of the answers
are brilliant and interesting.
N. K.