Couples in 19th century , These couple had a norm which was binding them to the responsibilities and decorum of the society.
The man shifted from Agriculture sector to Industrial sector. Moved from villages to the cities. Education of women was a debate in those days. I was in 6th class in 1962 and we had a debate under the big bunyan tree in Lady Yampthil High School in Machilipatnam. You know the topic was" Is it necessary for a woman to be eduated?" I remember also the artical written by Muppalla Ranganayakamma , the revolutionary writer on behalf of women rights, of those days.
The title of her article was "Is it necessary to breath air by women or not"--It was a sarcastic article about the education to women is necessary or not. She meant, 'Why we should discuss this issue of education is a must or not to women.. it look like asking is it necessary to breath air or not by women. She brought reformation in thinking of the society by her novels like Balipeetham, where a low caste educated had to marry a brahmin woman to fulfill her desire to die as a married woman on her death bed. But how he was treated once she recovered from the illness. This novel was taken as base novel for a Movie by the same name.
Those days were ridden with caste divisions, trampling women from their rights, but it was an age where women took lead to fight these norms of the socieity. In fact my own mother, was given in marriage to her relative at the age of 5 years and my dad was 9 years . It was child marriage. But my mom when she realized that her freedom to study was taken away from her , with the support of her widow mother joined a boarding school in Penugonda of E.G.Dt. and completed her Higher grade teacher training course, and started to work as a teacher in Eluru. BUT..my dad after he was trained as a Police Sub Inspector in Malabar and posted in Madras, felt its a shame to see his wife working as he was capable of leading the family.Those days men used to feel shame to eat the food earned by the wife or daughter. They used to take up full responsibility of feeding the family.
So my mother was asked to resign the job and join him in Madras. There in Egmore in 1952 I was born.
Whatever, the life of women was subjected to man's demands, My mother's favourite authoresses were Malathi Chandur and Muppalla Ranganayakamm, She live to the principles till now.. These and many other writers brought change in the minds of the people. Veeresalingam Panthulu, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, William Carrey Amy Carmel Pandita Rama bai and many others brought reformation in those days, especially among social norms which suppress women. like Dava dasi system, child marriages, widow remarriage, women education, Prohibition of Sati, Girl child infanticide etc.
This century was an awakening of women rights.
But the man was still regarded as the sole head of the family, and whole family was expected to obey him though now it turned up into Nuclear families.
The woman on one hand given freedom to be educated, but not allowed to express her own desires or tastes of color of her dress, or taste of the food. She needed to confirm to the likes and dislikes of man.
So the couples in the nuclear families away from the joint families and the supervision of the experienced men and women of the family started to experiment their own life in many ups and downs in life.
But it was really a strange thing how could they get on so well in case of family roles.
The nature teaches many, and the instinct plays good role to them who wanted to play good role as husband and wife in the family. Women was expected to take care of the education of her children, Kitchen was her private territory, where she felt its a shame to ask her husband to enter into it to help her. She was supposed to cook and serve in detail according to the tastes of man in time.Her role is to be played well in home , Sweet Home, I remember the novel I read by Malathi Chandur Home Sweet Home, where she depicted the role of woman how sweet it would be if she realize her role to please the family. You will be wondered if I tell you , in spite of many cook books and culinary art so much developed, I still feel her book "Vantalu and Pindi Vantalu" is the best book and it is with me still in my kitchen shelf to refer whenever I needed, There are so many culnary items, and I must say during all these years from 1979 till the date, i.e,2015 this book inspires me so so much, and recently I prepared mango jam from the recipe which is beyond the flaw.
Well, my point here is, the women in this century have had the freedom and no freedom in many ways,
But certainly more freedom than their predecessors,
(To be continued)
