[Reader-list] Early women's magazines: the debate on education

[sabitha t p]

The Debate on Education

In this part of my research, I have looked at the
general debate on women’s education in early women’s
magazines in Malayalam. At this stage I am yet to
fully collect the material for this because my
archives are in Kerala and I will be spending the next
two months in Trivandrum and Trichur to collect more
archival material. Therefore I have based my argument
and conclusions, for the time being, on the material I
already have and which I take to be representative of
each decade that I am looking at (the 1890’s to the
early1930’s).
I would like to begin by giving you a taste of my
archival material. I have translated two essays almost
entirely. The first essay is by P Kavamma who was a
regular contributor to women’s magazines such as
Sarada and Lakshmibhai and also participated in
debates on women’s issues in other journals such as
Vidyavinodini and Bhashaposhini. Hers is a spirited
defense of English education for women. The essay
begins by looking at the general merits of learning
English and goes on to apply those reasons for
educating women in English. We can see three types of
discourse being employed in this essay to justify
English education for women. The first can be called
the pragmatic-utilitarian discourse that employs the
reason of the use-value of English. The second is the
intellectual-rational discourse that looks at the
merits of having access to a wide arena of knowledge
through access to the English language. And the third
I call the moral discourse that deploys the terms of
morality itself to counter the belief that education
makes women licentious and desirous of freedom from
subjugation by men. These three kinds of discourses
are regularly employed by those who justify women’s
education. I will analyze these discourses in more
detail and with more examples later.
The second essay is by Puthelathu Govinda Menon,
published in Lakshmibhai in 1930. Puthelathu Govinda
Menon was a regular contributor to women’s journals
and his essays, full of invective and sarcasm, usually
take a rather regressive stance. In this one,
predictably, he argues against a certain kind of
education (“Western”?) for women and indicates an
alternative paradigm on which to model the education
of women. His ideas about what is proper and improper
for women is largely based on established notions such
as women’s role as caretakers of large households,
domestic cooks and caregivers for children. However he
does make allowances for a public role for women. In
the last paragraph, there is a nascent nationalist
consciousness that sees women’s role in spinning and
weaving indigenous clothes. This activity restores
purity to them that he perhaps sees as lost in Western
education. Here are the essays:
Women and Western Education
It is commonly known that education – with
modifications where necessary – is essential for
everyone, without discriminating between men and
women. Therefore I do not intend to describe its
greatness or merits. Everyone has to perform various
tasks that are useful to themselves and society. It is
only with the help of education that those can be
fulfilled justly. Since the main purpose – though not
the real one – of education is to help us in our daily
tasks of survival, there are no two opinions that it
has to be relevant to the times. Therefore, please
think about whether Western education is relevant to
our times, whether it is necessary for our women and
what state it is in right now.
Not only has Western education spread throughout the
Indian subcontinent, its reach increases everyday in
an unprecedented manner. Nobody, nothing, can prevent
its speedy march to the top. Even though there are in
India, which stretches up to the Himalayas, several
castes, religions, customs, manners, communities and
languages, wherever one looks, without exception it is
English education that shines above all these. These
days, a person who does not know English cannot travel
in the way he wants satisfactorily. Most names of
cities and towns are now in English. Our native who
does not know English will not be able to understand
names such as Benares, Mahe, Trichy and Quilon unless
someone tells him the old names in his language. Not
only names, every minute everything is turning into
English. Therefore those who do not know English have
many difficulties and those just keep increasing. We
see nothing in this land that is not touched at least
a little by the Western wind of change. Western
manners have even entered our comfortable domestic
life and other activities related to it
Since all
things around us have become and are fast becoming
English we will have to learn the English language if
we want to carry out our tasks without encumbrance
from now onwards.  We should also never forget that
English is our sovereign’s language. Education cannot
be considered appropriate unless it lasts all our
lives and helps us in our daily tasks and duties.
Therefore it is indubitable that our women too, like
men, should acquire an education relevant to our
times.
Now, if we look at the world of children too it
appears doubtless that women need to be given English
education. It is, after all, a boy who is under his
mother’s care today who will enter the world’s stage
tomorrow as a great social leader or someone
interested in the welfare of the public. It is indeed
an apt saying that goes: “As long as there is life in
a man, does he forget his habits as a child?”
Hence,
no one will argue that the stage of childhood does not
need our special attention. That is when the child’s
education also begins. Earlier, “Hari Sree” used to be
taught first. Now it is “a,b,c,d.” Everyone teaches
their children English for various reasons. Most of
one’s education takes place in one’s childhood. At
this time does not the authority of their care rest
with the mother? If she is not at all educated in
English she will be unable to punish or advise the
children and lead them to a righteous path when they
pick up and read morally unhealthy sections of novels
full of the sringara rasa or when they tell the mother
they are studying while in reality they are spending
their time looking at the pretty pictures in the
catalogues of “P. R. and Sons” or “Ox and Co.” Since
most of the father’s time is spent in matters outside
the house, he will rarely have time to pay attention
to domestic affairs or to closely scrutinise the
character and manners of the children
If our children
have to move with the times, our women need to be
educated in English.
Now, even if we anaylse the merits and demerits of the
English language, we find more greatness in it.
Because, when we learn our mother tongue Sanskrit
(sic!) we only learn about our ancient customs and
religious principles. We do not understand anything
about other races. On the other hand, in English,
since there are translations of the sastras, puranas
and vedas of the various religions in all parts of the
world and of all other good books, if we just learn
this language we can easily know everything about the
state of various countries and other matters. It is
doubtful that any other education is strong enough to
inculcate ideals such as expansion of the mind and
knowledge of the world. Therefore we should have no
hesitation in providing English education to women.
Many people have the superstition that if women are
given English education they will become independent
and licentious, and will not submit to men. If the
former is to be prevented, women should not be given
any education. Any kind of education will increase the
natural desire for freedom. What we should think about
is whether this desire for independence is detrimental
to society. It is never so. If it was so, we should
have seen this happen to men when Western education
was started for them. What we see rather is great
progress in them. Even nature shows us in several ways
that women are at best just equal to and not better
then men. Then why the aforesaid fear about women? How
do I write about how absurd the second fear about
women is? There is no doubt at all that usually a
person who is educated feels reluctance, impassiveness
and hatred towards such immoral activities. Is this
not how we distinguish between an educated and
uneducated person? Who will believe that someone whose
intellect has been refined by education will bring on
damage to her chastity? Do our puranas and pandits not
claim that education is a fortress that protects our
moral character? Western scholars and their books also
say the same. They never teach that we should be
unchaste or adulterous. Those who have received some
amount of education rarely engage in such illegitimate
activities that destroy happiness in this world as
well as the other world. My only reply to
superstitious people is that if anyone does commit
such wrong it is for other hidden reasons and is not
the fault of education. Dear readers! I have tried
your patience too much! Even though there is a lot
more to write about this issue, I end this essay here
out of fear and doubt that I will be given more space
in this magazine. Please allow me to say once more
that there should be no skepticism about or hesitation
in giving women an English education since it has been
proven by the reasons given above that they deserve
it.

(‘Streekalum Paschatya Vidyabhyasavavum’, P. Kavamma,
Lakshmibhai Jan-Feb 1913 [1088 makaram]) 

Two Words to our Girl children
Oh little ladies! That you have set out with the
intention of competing with or overtaking men is mere
derring-do. Because, if you step into men’s places,
who will take your position? Even if it is amusing for
your parents to see you imitate Western ways, it may
not be agreeable to Bharatmata, your great
grandmother. I do not say that you do not need
education. However, the education that you are
receiving now is inappropriate for you and your
country. Have you or your guardians ever thought about
how useful it is for you to pass the examination of
the tenth, twelfth or fourteenth grade? You should
understand that the system of education in the State
of Cochin, nay, the Indian State, is wrong. When the
English sneaked into India as traders they started
English education with the intention of getting
translators – for interacting with the natives – as
well as accountants and clerks for minute salaries. As
a result of that two-hundred-year-old education
system, apart from saying that we now have in India
many officers – most of whom are poor clerks – and
many vakils – most of whom cannot save enough money
for even subsistence – has any good come to the
country’s or our society’s economic status or welfare?
That you have stepped out on the path of this kind of
an education system, which is not even useful to men,
is indeed a pity. Do you know that there are countless
young men – your brothers – with a B.A. degree who are
wandering about without employment and who have no
skill to do any other kind of work? Do you intend to
imitate them?
You will not fulfill your destiny by
passing the tenth grade and getting a mistress’s job
in some girls’ school. You should not forget your
social obligations and rights. I have seen, among you,
some girls who walk around with spectacles. If it is
only for fashion, there is nothing more foolish. If
your eyes have become weaker due to reading
sleeplessly at night or due to the heat and smoke of
kerosene lamps, please forego everything to protect
your organ of sight. Do not do anything against
nature. If you think about nature’s laws, does it not
become clear that you undergo mental and physical
changes from the start of menstruation? Has not nature
decided that the human race be procreated through its
womenfolk?

	Some of you may say that you are not studying to get
a job or make a living. I ask one of those sixteen or
eighteen-year-old little mistresses: “Do you know how
to govern a family of four? Do you know how to cook
for a few people? Do you know how to milk the cow? Do
you know how to take care of children? Do you know
anything about God?” If the little mistress replies
unconscientiously, she will answer thus: “ I don’t go
to school to learn to cook and serve, govern a family,
milk the cow or to take care of children. Our teachers
do not tell us anything about God either.” This is why
I say that the education you receive now is
inappropriate for you, your family and your country.
	Just because I have said all this, do not mistake me
for a person opposed to women’s education. Certainly,
education is necessary for you. All I say is that it
should not be too much or in too wrong a manner
It is
necessary and desirable for many of you to become
teachers so that education can be spread completely
among the community of women
It will be enough for
your purposes if you impart education up to the level
of the third grade. Therefore those of you who wish to
be teachers need to be just qualified enough to teach
the third grade
When I see some of you setting out to
work in other departments, what can I call them except
conceited? Sometimes I think that thanks to women’s
education our women may even become policemen (sic)
and soldiers!
	Until the human race entirely rejects the dharma of
marriage, is it not impossible for women to avoid the
two states of being a wife and a mother? Women should
chiefly engage in activities that help them fulfill
these roles in the best possible manner. Your
education should be suitable for these purposes

	The government should, without delay, enlist women’s
education in a new plan that will be best for the
status of our country. For that, many industries that
are appropriate for women and that will ensure the
welfare of our country need to be set up. However, for
now, all of you should engage in spinning clothes – an
activity that you can easily undertake and that will
enlighten the whole country. May the sacred clothes
that your pure hands weave spread throughout Kerala.

(‘Nammude Penkidangalodu Randu Vakku’, Puthelathu
Govinda Menon, Lakshmibhai, May-June, 1930 [1106
edavam])
More soon!Comments from people working in similar
areas are very welcome.



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