01-12-2009, 06:02 AM
Statesman has covered it today:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Breaking the myth</b>
NEW DELHI, Jan 11: Lashing out at colonial historians for creating a vicious myth that women were discriminated against in ancient India, noted scholar Dr S Ram Mohan today said scriptures such as Manu Smriti accorded a very high status to women and deprived sections.
Quoting slokas from the three major code books of Hindus to prove the exalted and enlightened status women enjoyed in ancient India, Dr Mohan, who is also additional member (finance), Railway Board, told the ongoing international conference on Indian history, Civilisation and Geopolitics 2009 said: âWomen had no rights in ancient India is a vicious myth spread by colonial historians. The reality is that all the three ancient code books of Hindus ~ Manu Smriti, Narad Smriti and Yajnavalkya Smriti ~ have a common theme of social welfare and an egalitarian society, with a very high status assigned to women and the deprived sections,â he said.
Dr Mohan said the much-maligned Manu Smriti says the house in which women are not respected shall be soon destroyed. It directs that the daughter-in-law and pregnant women should be fed first and gives protection to womenâs property from the law of adverse possession.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?...ess=1&id=239668
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Breaking the myth</b>
NEW DELHI, Jan 11: Lashing out at colonial historians for creating a vicious myth that women were discriminated against in ancient India, noted scholar Dr S Ram Mohan today said scriptures such as Manu Smriti accorded a very high status to women and deprived sections.
Quoting slokas from the three major code books of Hindus to prove the exalted and enlightened status women enjoyed in ancient India, Dr Mohan, who is also additional member (finance), Railway Board, told the ongoing international conference on Indian history, Civilisation and Geopolitics 2009 said: âWomen had no rights in ancient India is a vicious myth spread by colonial historians. The reality is that all the three ancient code books of Hindus ~ Manu Smriti, Narad Smriti and Yajnavalkya Smriti ~ have a common theme of social welfare and an egalitarian society, with a very high status assigned to women and the deprived sections,â he said.
Dr Mohan said the much-maligned Manu Smriti says the house in which women are not respected shall be soon destroyed. It directs that the daughter-in-law and pregnant women should be fed first and gives protection to womenâs property from the law of adverse possession.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?...ess=1&id=239668