Book Review: ‘Women Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’ by Padma Shri awardee Nivedita Bhide
Updated: March 5, 2025 0:51
‘Women Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’(Suruchi Prakashan) authored by Padma Shri awardee Nivedita Bhide is a thought-provoking exploration of the role of women in society through history. The book contrasts different cultural perspectives on women’s empowerment, particularly examining the differences between Western feminist movements and the evolution of women’s roles in Indian civilization.
Nivedita Bhide is a respected social reformer and a senior functionary of Vivekananda Kendra, a spiritual and service-based organization inspired by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS). She has dedicated decades to work for rural development, education, and women’s empowerment in India. In recognition of her contributions, she was honoured with the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian awards.
The book delves into the ideological battleground surrounding women’s status in different civilizations, contrasting Western feminist movements with the natural evolution of Bharatiya womanhood. Bhide argues that while the struggles for women’s rights in the West emerged from historical oppression and religious constraints, Indian traditions have always placed women in positions of respect and leadership. However, centuries of foreign rule disrupted this progression, and modern narratives have often misrepresented the status of women in Hindu society.
Bhide writes,”The most targeted issue about Hindu traditions and society has been the status, treatment, and attitude towards women. Thousand years of constant struggle with alien powers have resulted in stagnancy and orthodoxy in a few traditions in India which colonial education exaggerated, reinforcing a perception of Indian society as inherently patriarchal, while failing to acknowledge the historical causes of these changes.”
A significant part of the book contrasts the historical struggles of Western women with the organic evolution of women’s roles in India. Bhide highlights how, for centuries, women in the West were systematically denied fundamental rights, even basic recognition of their humanity in religious and legal discourses.
She puts the issue in a historcal context,”For centuries, in Christianity, it was debated whether a woman is a human being or not. It was much later that the Church consented that women are also human beings.”
The book outlines how Western feminist movements arose in response to deep-rooted oppression—where women were excluded from political participation, education, and even property rights. For instance, women in the United States only won the right to vote in 1920, and in Switzerland, as late as 1971.
In contrast, Bhide argues that India’s approach to women’s empowerment historically differed. She highlights that Indian women held influential roles in governance, education, and spiritual leadership long before colonial rule disrupted traditional structures.
“With the spread of education, women in different continents had their own way of expression which evolved into diverse feminism… Bhartiya (Indian) womanhood also responded both colonially and indigenously. A lot has been achieved in the field of women’s empowerment in Bharat in the last two centuries,” says Bhide.
The book emphasizes that rather than blindly following Western feminist models, Indian society should rediscover its own traditions, which historically encouraged gender harmony rather than conflict.
Conclusion
Bhide’s concluding message is both motivational and forward-looking. She envisions a future where women lead through cooperation rather than competition, advocating for a model of development that values both tradition and progress.
“Challenges are many, hurdles abundant, but destiny supersedes. Women leaders and feminine leadership in others have to evolve into a model of women-led development for humanity to enter the era of cooperative well-being instead of competitive exploitation and struggle for dominance.”
‘Women Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’ is a well-researched and insightful book that challenges dominant feminist narratives and offers a fresh perspective rooted in Indian culture. Bhide’s deep scholarship, combined with her commitment to social change, makes this book an essential read for anyone interested in gender studies, history, and the role of tradition in shaping society. Whether a scholar, student, or general reader, this book provides a profound understanding of women’s journey through time and their potential for the future.
(The writer is an author and columnist. She has a PhD in sociology)
