New Delhi:Asserting that Indian women have a significant role to play in nation building, Minister of State for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman Saturday said women should start “documenting their achievements”.
Speaking on the topic of ‘Hindu women’s participation in politics and social leadership’ on the second day of the World Hindu Congress here, Sitharaman said: “The women should start recording their achievements, not in a pompous way but document it, show it out.”
Acknowledging that women have always contributed to every segment of their lives, society and country, Sitharaman said the documentation was necessary as “in the 21st century, some kind of narration is required”.
Sitharaman said modern women were multi-faceted and their participation in the country’s politics is significant.
“Politics is like an open box which draws from all the streams, so let’s not make it into an exclusive business. Women are there and should continue to be there,” she said adding that women should “be assertive and engage with everybody”.
Former IPS officer and activist Kiran Bedi too supported the idea but went a step further and suggested that the contribution of women in India’s history be included in the school syllabus.
“Let’s document the contribution of women in India’s history. Not for adults but for the youth. It should be a student edition for the age group of 13 to 16. It can be included in the school syllabus,” Bedi said.
She said the dream of a developed India could only be realised if the country’s women are literate.
“We need to focus on making the women sakshar (educated) and saksham (capable),” she said.
The three-day international conference will end Sunday. The organisers said 1,800 delegates from 40 countries are taking part in the meet.