HER STORIES INDIAN WOMEN DOWN THE AGES

Some were celebrated,Others vilifiedWhile some were casually neglectedYet, the story of these women lived on…Her-Stories is a discussion of women from Indian history whose contributionshave been all but forgotten. These were poets, performers, warriors, saints,philosophers, activists and more, yet we hardly remember their courage andcontributions. The time has come to bring their history to the fore.Their stories describe desperate situations, ingenious strategies and brilliantsparks of feminist consciousness. Rather than accounts of isolated ‘greatwomen’, these stories place at the centre the ordinary woman, in all hersplendid diversity, multifaceted struggle and achievement. The womenprofiled were encouraged and supported by others—their achievementsrepresent the aspirations of many in the past, and provide inspiration forus in the present.Cutting across several regions of India and presented in chronological orderfrom second millennium BCE, to the mid-nineteenth century India, theseare the stories of women who have been thinkers, doers, movers and shakerswho have subverted hierarchies, brought peace out of chaos and surviveddespite routine devaluation.Philosopher Sulabha, philanthropist Vishakha, fearless Uppalavanna,wandering bard Auvaiyar, justice maker Leima Laisna, astronomer Khona,mountain queen Didda, radical poet Akkamahadevi, intrepid Sultan Razia,martial artiste Unniyarcha, poet-saint Janabai, Gond Rani Durgavati, historianGulbadan, cultural ambassador Harkha, pepper queen Abbakka, fakiraJahanara, brave Onake Obavva, Dalit rebel Nangeli, dancer-diplomat MahlaqaBai Chanda, lion queen Jindan, Nawab Begum Qudsia, sharpshooter Uda,guerrillera Hazrat Begum and feminist writer Tarabai Shinde.