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Social Movements 8.8 T he W omen ’s M ovement The 19 th C entury S ocial R eform M ovements and Early W omen ’s O rganisations You are already familiar with the 19 thcentury social reform movements that raised various issues concerning women. Chapter 2 had dealt with it as did the earlier book. The early 20th century saw the growth of women’s organisations at the national and the local level. The Women’s India Association (WIA) (1917), All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) (1926) and National Council for Women in India (NCWI) (1925) are ready names of organisations that we can mention. While many of them began with a limited focus, their scope extended over time. For instance, the AIWC began with the idea that ‘women’s welfare’ and ‘politics’ were mutually exclusive. Few years later in one of the Presidential addresses it was stated, “…Can the Indian man or woman be free if India be a slave? How can we remain dumb about national freedom, the very basis of all great reforms?”udhuri 1993: 149) It can be argued that this period of activity did not constitute a social movement. It can be argued otherwise too. Let us recall some of the features that characterise social movements. It did have organisations, ideology, leadership, a shared understanding and the aim of bringing about changes on a public issue. What they succeeded In the North Cedar Hills, a woman named together was to create an atmosphere where the Gufiallo became famous for her part in the women’s question could not be ignored. Civil Disobedience Movement. A grarian Struggles and R evolts It is often assumed that only middle class educated women are involved in social movements. Part of the struggle has been to remember the forgotten history of women’s participation. Women participated along with men in struggles and revolts originating in tribal and rural areas in the colonial period. The Tebhaga movement in Bengal, the Telangana arms struggle from the erstwhile Nizam’s rule, and the Warli tribal’s revolt against bondage in Maharashtra are some examples. P ost 1947 125 An issue that is often raised is that if there was an active women’s movement before 1947, what happened afterwards? One explanation has been that many Reprint 2026-27