Being a Women or a girl is not an easy task because you have to do what you have been asked . We know how different person saw us . Sometimes , they saw very badly and now as we learn self defence , we can fight for ourselves . She was India’s First Child who got married and She was India’s first women who got divorce . She forgotten feminist icon who laid the groundwork for future feminist movements in the country. She was India’s first Hindu woman to get a divorce, and also one of the first female doctors practising Western medicine.
According to a report , it had been said that : Rukhmabai Bhimrao Raut was born in Mumbai on November 22, 1864. Her mother, herself a child bride, was married off at 14, and had Rukhmabai at 15. Her husband died when she was seventeen. Later, she remarried Dr. Sakharam Arjun Raut, and this man played a big role in stoking the fire in Rukhmabai to make her the iconic social reformer she turned into. However, Rukhmabai was married at 11, as per the norms of the time, to Dadaji Bhikaji, a 19-year-old. Despite this, she stayed at home and continued her education with her stepfather’s support. After nine years of marriage, in March 1884, Dadaji demanded she live with him. Rukhmabai refused. And this act of defiance led to the landmark Dadaji Bhikaji vs. Rukhmabai case in 1885, an unprecedented court case in India when Dadaji filed a lawsuit in the Bombay High Court. Rukhmabai’s case in 1885 was a landmark in Indian legal history as she fought against an unwanted marriage and sought a divorce, ultimately leading to Queen Victoria dissolving her marriage, and two major legal changes later down the line – the Age of Consent Act of 1891, and the subsequent eradication of the custom of child-marriage by law. And the iconic divorce case is just a prefix to her incredible life and contributions as one of India’s first female doctors practising Western medicine, preceded perhaps only by Kadambini Ganguly. What is interesting to realise at this point in time is how a young, Indian woman in the patriarchal 19th century even understood the idea of consent and a woman’s space in the way we understand it today. She was definitely born much ahead of her time and a pioneer of the women-liberation movement in pre-independence India, she did much to lay down the groundwork for future feminist movements in the country.
As a women , we can’t do everything with perfection , as we all know we all are humans and there is a very big difference between a women doing a work by her own choices and she is doing because of someone forcefully . Similarly , in Rukhmabai Bhimrao Raut , She don’t to live with his husband separately , because that’s her choice ,but at that time the awareness of divorce is not there . Nowadays , As we know there are alot of women who are taking divorce because of some marital issues, etc . But , now also the awareness of divorce is not much as everyone’s think that the mistake should be from the wife side , but it’s not always true . Rukhmabai chose imprisonment, drawing national and international attention, sparking social unrest and dividing India into orthodox and reforming factions. She started writing because she believes that words can never be a lie rather than a person do . She became an inspiration for women in Indian History .She is getting a lot of pressure from all the side of the society . In her journey of being a social reformer , she also involve many things like Resilence (Sometimes silence is not good for your answer ) , Women Empowerment (Power to make choices).
As Commemorate , the remarkable journey of Rukhmabai Raut – from child bride to India’s first divorcee – let us reaffirm our commitment to upholding her legacy, advancing her vision of a more just and equitable society, and ensuring that every individual, regardless of gender or background, has the opportunity to live a life of dignity, autonomy, and fulfillment.
