Context:
Recently, 8 persons were acquitted in connection with glorifying the act of Sati by constructing temples in her name.
Sati:
- Sati involves a widow immolating herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.
- After immolation, memorial stones or shrines were erected, and the widow was worshipped as a Goddess.
- Earliest evidence – Eran Pillar Inscription of Bhanugupta, Madhya Pradesh (510 AD).
Steps Taken to Abolish Sati:
- Emperor Akbar ordered officials to prevent forced immolation and offered support to widows.
- Sikh Guru Amar Das condemned the practice in the 15th–16th centuries.
- The Marathas banned sati in their region.
- The Dutch, Portuguese, and French banned sati in their colonies.
- With the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Governor-General William Bentinck declared sati illegal under the Bengal Sati Regulation
Other Legal Initiatives for improving Women’s Position:
- Bengal regulations (1795, 1804) equated female infanticide with murder.
- An 1870 Act mandated birth registration and verification of female infants.
- Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856 legalized widow remarriage and recognized children from such marriages.
- Age of Consent Act, 1891 – Forbade marriage of girls below 12 years.
- Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 (Sarda Act) – Set marriage age to 18 for boys and 14 for girls.
- 1978 Amendment raised marriage age to 18 for girls and 21 for boys.
- Education of Women –
- Calcutta Female Juvenile Society (1819) marked the beginning of the female education movement.
- Bethune School (1849) became pivotal for women’s education.
Source: The Indian Express
Previous Year Question
Annie Besant was:
1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement.
2. The founder of the Theosophical Society.
3. Once the President of the Indian National Congress.
Select the correct statement/statements using the code given below:
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2013 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Madame H.P. Blavatsky (1831- 1891) and Colonel M.S. Olcott are the founders of Theosophical Society.
