33. Women who shaped the Indian Republic

Priya Ravichandran and Shruti Viswanathan explore the role of women in the Constitution making and nation building process on Episode 33 of BIC Talks.  Priya and Shruti explore the rise of political feminist consciousness in the Indian national movement, looking at the influence of global, and home grown, suffragette movements on the Indian independence movement. They also discuss the roles of individual women in the Constituent Assembly and their political and personal struggles.  While political rights were granted to women under the Constitution, the Constituent Assembly and the Indian Republic fell short of guaranteeing equity in public life and in personal law. They critically examine sexism in the Indian national movement and within the Constituent Assembly.  Priya Ravichandran (@binaryfootprint) has been a student and analyst in the field of politics and policy making for the last 14 years. She has written extensively about the women in the Indian constituent assembly in a number of publications and in her blog, 15 for the Republic.  Shruti Viswanathan runs 'The Equals Project', which conducts workshops for children and young adults, teaching Constitution creation through experiential learning. Shruti is a graduate of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. She has a Master's in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University.  BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guest.