Me Too moment in 1938 and Mahatma Gandhi's Response

          The Me Too campaign unearthing sexual harassment of women in diverse fields of public life has acquired the proportion of a movement in many parts of the world and currently Indian women in many spheres of activities have come forward to name and shame men who outraged their modesty, subjected them to sexual harassment and violated their physical bodies. It is rather heartening that women have displayed remarkable courage in bringing to light the wrong doings which were committed against them long years back by men.

          The enabling environment created in favour of women following several judgments of the apex court to protect them from sexual harassment and safeguard their dignity in work places and the widespread use of social media empowering ordinary people including women to  transmit and disseminate information, data and image has created a new awakening to stand against patriarchy which is the basis of subordinate status of women and their vulnerability to exploitation and sexual harassment. The rising consciousness for gender equality and women's empowerment has caught up with the whole world and Me Too campaign is indicative of that growing consciousness which affirm the point that women need to be treated with dignity in work places.

          The courage displayed by women to speak publicly against their harassers has been admired across the country and many such harassers are now facing action and social disapproval. It is indeed a rare moment in quest for ensuring dignity and respect for women in public places.

          It is instructive to recall that eighty  years back i.e. in  1938,   a case of sexual harassment was reported by a college girl from Punjab  to Mahatma Gandhi when she was using the public road. The contents of what she wrote  and the response of  Mahatma Gandhi indeed captured the Me Too moment of the twenty first century world.

          She wrote to Gandhiji,  "To girls and grown up women there come times, in spite of their wish to the contrary, when they have to venture out alone, whether they are going from one place to another in the same city or from one town to another. And when they are thus found alone, evil minded people pester them. They use improper or even indecent language while they are passing by. And if fear does not check them, they do not hesitate to take further liberty.  I should like to know  what part non-violence can play on such occasions.  The use of violence is of course there. If the girl or the woman has sufficient courage, she will use what resources she has and teach miscreants a lesson.  They can at least kick up a row that would draw the attention of the people around, resulting in the miscreants being horse whipped.  But I know that the result of such treatment would be merely to postpone the agony, not a permanent cure. Where you know the people who misbehave, I feel sure that they will listen to reason, to the gesture of love and humility. But what about a fellow cycling by, using foul language on seeing a girl or a woman unaccompanied by a male companion? You have no opportunity of reasoning with him.  What is the remedy for curing youth of the abominable habit of insulting women folk? You would not suggest that we should wait and suffer till a new generation, taught from childhood to be polite to their womenfolk comes into being". 

          It is educative to note that the girl who was a victim of harassment in public place wanted to reason out with the harasser to change him and bring out the transformation within him so that he would not misbehave girls and women. But she was crest fallen that no such opportunity was available to her. She even regretted that the Government did precious little to address the problem. It was evident from  the letter  in which she wrote to Gandhiji, " The Government is either unwilling or unable to deal with this social evil. The big leaders have no time for such questions. Some, when they hear of a girl bravely castigating ill-behaved youth, say, ‘Well done. That is the way all girls should behave.’ Sometimes a leader is found eloquently lecturing against such misbehaviour of students. But no one applies himself continuously to the solution of this serious problem. You will be painfully surprised to know that during Diwali and such other holidays newspapers come out with notices warning women from venturing outdoors even to see the illuminations. This one fact should enable you to know to what straits we are reduced in this part of the world! Neither the writers nor the readers of such warnings have any sense of shame that they should have to be issued."

          What the girl wrote in 1938 about the harassment women faced in public spaces sound so contemporary in the context of Mee Too campaign. Is not the Mee Too campaign a method of deepening public reasoning in favour of women's respect and self esteem?

Gandhi's reply to that letter of the young college going girl assumes significance in the context of Me Too campaign occupying centre stage in India of twenty first century.  He wrote, "in the case of rude remarks, there need be no perturbation but there should be no indifference. All such cases should be published in the papers.  Names of the offenders should be published when they are traced.  There should be no false modesty about exposing the evil.  There is nothing like public opinion for castigating public misconduct.  There is no doubt that,..::.::, there is great public apathy about such matters. But it is not public alone that are to blame. They must have before them examples of rudeness.  Even as stealing cannot be dealt with unless cases of thieving are published and followed up, so also it is impossible to deal with cases of rude behaviour if they are suppressed.  Crime and vice generally require darkness for prowling.  They disappear when light plays upon them".  

        Me too campaign is indeed throwing light on rudeness and sexual assault which women face in horrifying proportions in every sphere of society and in a recurrent manner.

          Gandhiji then prescribed that the qualities  required to imbibe non-violence had to be cultivated by modern girls. His indicting observations that "... I have a fear that the modern girl loves to be Juliet to half a dozen Romeos. She loves adventure..... The modern girl dresses not to protect herself from wind, rain and sun but to attract attention. She improves upon nature by painting herself and looking extraordinary. The non-violent way is not for such girls",  would be resented by many for obvious reasons. 

          However, Gandhiji admitted that the girl who wrote the letter to him represented  the unusual type and not a modern girl. He observed that " ...definite rules govern the development of the non-violent spirit in us. It is a strenuous effort. It marks a revolution in the way of thinking and living. If my correspondent and the girls of her way of thinking will revolutionize their life in the prescribed manner, they will soon find that young men, who at all come in contact with them, will learn to respect them and to put on their best behaviour in their presence. But if perchance they find, as they may, that their very chastity is in danger of being violated, they must develop courage enough to die rather than yield to the brute in man. It has been suggested that a girl who is gagged or bound so as to make her powerless even for struggling cannot die as easily as I seem to think. I venture to assert that a girl who has the will to resist can burst all the bonds that may have been used to render her powerless. The resolute will gives her the strength to die. But this heroism is possible only for those who have trained themselves for it. Those who have not a living faith in non-violence will learn the art of ordinary self-defence and protect themselves from indecent behaviour of unchivalrous youth."

Gandhiji indicted the men who misbehaved with women and outraged their modesty. He wrote, "The great question, however, is why should young men be devoid of elementary good manners so as to make decent girls be in perpetual fear of molestation from them? I should be sorry to discover that the majority of young men have lost all sense of chivalry. But they should, as a class, be jealous of their reputation and deal with every case of impropriety occurring among their mates. They must learn to hold the honour of every woman as dear as that of their own sisters and mothers. All the education they receive will be in vain if they do not learn good manners."

The articulations of Gandhiji in 1938 in response to the harassment faced by young girls in public places assumes significance for twenty first century India which is witnessing a non-violent Me Too campaign to fight for dignity of women in public space.