HT Correspondent
JORHAT, Nov 20: Secretary of the Epic Study Centre, Dr Malini, delivered an enlightening speech on ‘Character of Women in the Great Epics of India and Their Relevance to Women in Present Times’.
Addressing the Kamala Devi Memorial Lecture at the Pragati Samaj Auditorium in Choladhora on Wednesday, Dr Malini, a former scientist at CSIR-NEIST, highlighted the characters of several women from ancient times, beginning with Gargi and Maitreyee of the Dwapar Yuga to Sita and Draupadi of the Treta Yuga. She drew parallels between the challenges faced by these characters and similar situations encountered by modern women.
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While extolling the characters of Gargi and Maitreyee as women who enjoyed equal space with men due to their acumen and intelligence, Dr Malini narrated the tales of Shakuntala, Satyavati, and Kunti, who faced societal shame, and Sita, who was belittled by her husband Ram for being touched by Ravana, leading her to the extreme step of suicide. She also discussed Draupadi, who was disrobed in the presence of elders in a public gathering, describing it as a societal and administrative failure akin to the Nirbhaya rape and murder case in Delhi in 2012.
Dr Malini, an authority on the epics and renowned globally for her erudite scholarship on ancient texts, remarked that the challenges faced by women in today’s society remain largely unchanged.
She dedicated her talk to the late Kamala Devi, who had translated several episodes from these ancient texts from Hindi to Assamese, despite having no formal education in Hindi.
Bijoya Adhyapak, speaking about her mother Kamala Devi, shared how, despite being widowed at a young age, her mother single-handedly struggled to raise and educate her four children, all of whom are now well-established in society.
The family of Kamala Devi, including her two sons, Bhupen Sharma and Aditya Sharma, two daughters, Protibha Sharma and Bijoya Adhyapak, her brothers, Bishnu Prasad Sharma Thakur and Lakshmi Prasad Sharma Thakur, and several grandchildren, were present on the occasion.
Kamala Devi, who authored about 12 books and several poems, had been felicitated by numerous literary organisations, including the Jorhat Sahitya Sabha and Heritage Assam.
The memorial lecture was held under the aegis of Pragati Samaj, a socio-welfare organisation, as part of its annual programs.
