In the footsteps of giants
I’ve heard so many people say they wish they had learned financial literacy in school. And I agree. I belong to a generation that has now lived through two recessions, in quick succession, a punishing job market and stagnating salaries, while costs have risen so high that many people have accepted they might never be homeowners. So learning how to manage money in a market that feels more like a minefield is a useful set of skills to have.
I attended an all-girls Catholic school in Southern India all through middle school, high school and university. While there was some sense of feminist values championed at university (it’s when I learned never to accept a pressure cooker as a birthday gift and insist on being seen as a woman whose identity is separate from a homemaker in a future marital family) for the most part, at school at least, we were trained to be well-spoken, well-read and well-mannered, which I only realise now in retrospect. Look at the matrimonial sections of Indian newspapers and it’s not uncommon to see a listing for “convent-educated” as an attribute that instantly increases a woman’s “marriageability”.
I loved my time at Sophia’s — I made friends for life and have some of the best memories. Nearly 20 years after I’ve graduated, you can’t take the Sophia girl out of me. But I wish we had learned history differently. Indian history and world history. It was such a “filler” fluff subject, sandwiched somewhere between English, which was taken more seriously, and the sciences plus math, which was taken the most seriously. No one expected anyone to major in history or have a career in it so it was rushed through in sleepy, post-lunch classes a few times each week, where we mostly learnt of former royal dynasties and more than I thought necessary of an ancient South Asian civilisation.
I especially wish we had learned more about notable women through history. Considering that we were an all-girls school, it was the perfect setting to celebrate being a woman and introduce a bunch of wide-eyed teenagers to the hard-won privileges achieved through the work of women who came before us. So this week I’ve picked some stories I wish were more widely known:
Rani Chennamma — My home city is Bangalore which is in the Indian state of Karnataka. Rani Chennama was an Indian queen of Kittur, a small town in Karnataka. When the British still ruled India, she led an armed battle against them to defy their policy of derecognising local rulers. She did this after her husband and son died, leaving her to defend her home territory. And this was in 1824, nearly one hundred years before India became independent. Rani Chennamma was defeated and died in captivity but was a powerful symbol of India’s fight for freedom.
I have never understood why Indian history lessons don’t include more details about local history.
Savitribai Phule — When I lived in Bombay, Crawford Market was where you went to buy soap, shampoo and other beauty essentials you couldn’t find at corner shops at the very literally named Beauty Centre. On a nighttime tour of the city, I learnt that everyone called it Crawford Market but its official name was Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai. And that’s how I learnt of Savitribai Phule, Jyotiba Phule’s wife. For how much I’m interested in this stuff, I had no idea she’s called the “mother of Indian feminism.” With her husband, she started one of the first schools for Indian girls in Pune in 1848.
Bibi Asma — An important figure in Islamic history, Bibi Asma was a half-sister of one of the Prophet’s wives. When the Prophet, accompanied by Bibi Asma’s father, made the difficult journey from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D., she used to ride on horseback at night to deliver food to both men who were sheltering temporarily in a cave. She also brought them news from Mecca. Parts of the Islamic faith are widely seen as regressive but there also stories like this of bravery and leadership, particularly of women, that deserve more space.
Begum Sultan Jahan — I had no idea but from 1819 to about 1926, Bhopal was ruled by women because there were no male successors born in the royal family. They were called the Begums of Bhopal and Begum Sultan Jahan was the last one. This Indian Express story about her is worth a read.
Rukhmabai — Rukhmabai was one of the first Indian women to qualify as a doctor. What I didn’t know was her case led to the Age of Consent Act of 1891. She was married at 11 years old and refused to move to her husband’s home when she was 12. When her husband tried and failed to get her to change her decision, he took her to court. The court ruled that she should return to her husband but Rukhmabai appealed to Queen Victoria, to annul the marriage. It’s disputed whether the queen was involved directly but the marriage was dissolved and the new act came into effect, which became the first step towards making child marriage a crime in India. In the days after she won the case, people donated money to her as they celebrated her win. She used this to study medicine in England.
Child marriage isn’t non-existent in India but it is illegal because of Rukhmabai.
In Women Wins this Week
I mentioned Victoria’s Secret in last week’s post. This week, they’ve made this announcement.
After years of market positioning that suggested “what men want”, the brand is moving away from an over-the-top sexy stripper image to shaking things up with mannequins in a variety of body sizes and adding products like post-mastectomy and nursing bras to its range of products. Women of colour like Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Eileen Gu will promote the brand and consult on its development. Ahead of becoming an independent company on the stock market (currently its parent company is publicly traded), it will get a female-majority board.
xx
AA