In 1946, the Indian Constituent Assembly was tasked with formulating the document that would soon govern the largest democracy in the world. Among its 299 members, were 15 women.
These women were vastly different from each other from members of royal families and the political elite to those from marginalized Dalit and Latin Christian communities; staunch Gandhians to revolutionaries; grassroots social workers to leaders of the global social order.
In this keenly researched book, Angellica Aribam and Akash Satyawali chronicle the lives of these trailblazing women recounting the influences that shaped them, the norms they defied, and the convictions they stood for. Guided by their own life experiences, these women contributed to debates on the idea of India that resonate even today from drafting progressive personal laws to the need for a uniform civil code, from the rights of detainees to their varied and evolving opinions on reservations.
Bringing alive the history of the Indian Constitution in rich detail, The Fifteen pays tribute to the undeniable contribution of women to the Indian republic, while reminding us we must understand the past to better shape the future.
Named one of Forbes India's 30 Under 30 in 2017, Angellica Aribam is a political activist who has been working on issues of gender, anti-racism, and the democratization of politics for over a decade. Her work has been featured widely by both national and international media. She regularly writes for various newspapers including Indian Express and Times of India.
She is committed to amplifying women's leadership in Indian politics. Akash Satyawali is a public policy professional and national coordinator with the Research Department of the Indian National Congress. He regularly writes for various publications including Deccan Herald, The Wire, and The Hindu on law, economy, and public policy.
It has been more than seventy years since India became a democratic republic. Since the first official demand for women's suffrage in 1917 by a group of Indian women activists, the status of women has undergone massive improvements. However, in the male-dominated world of politics, the representation of women has seen only an incremental growth. The Constituent Assembly had fifteen women out of 299 members - a mere 5 per cent. As of January 2024, India ranks 142 out of 193 countries with just 15 per cent Lok Sabha members being women.
In September 2023, the president of India gave assent to a law that provides 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. At long last, there is hope that women will occupy a significant space in public offices. The women's reservation law is the culmination of three decades of intense activism. It is often said that we stand on the shoulders of giants. In this case, the right to representation can be viewed as part of the struggle from a century ago when Indian women leaders organized and advocated for women's right to vote. They won partial victories and persevered to demand their rightful share in all spheres - political, social, and economic.
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