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Women’s Magazines in Preindependent India

Dr, Ashitha M I. (A) Personal Details

Role Name Affiliation Principal Investigator Prof.SumitaParmar Allahabad University, Allahabad Paper Coordinator Prof. Rekha Pande University of Hyderabad,

Hyderabad Content Writer/Author (CW)

Dr.Ashitha M Independent Scholar

Content Reviewer (CR) Prof. Rekha Pande University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad

Language Editor (LE) Prof.SumitaParmar Allahabad University, Allahabad (B) Description of Module

Items Description of Module Subject Name Women’s Studies Paper Name Women and History Module Name/ Title, description

Paper, 3 Unit 3 and Module 18.: Women’s journal’s in pre independent india

Module ID Paper-3, Unit 3 and Module 18. Pre-requisites The reader is expected to have a knowledge

about the woman magazines and how they encouraged women’s education and women’s movements in pre independent India

Objectives The present module focuses on the women’s magazines and their efforts in changing the roles of women both in private and public spheres. .

Keywords Women, magazine, public, private, socio reform movement, pre independent Indiaideal woman, Women’s education

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Women’s Journals in Pre Independence India

Dr. Ashitha M

Colonial India witnessed the emergence of press and publication of magazines as a part

of the socio religious movements in India. Newspapers and magazines acted as agency of Indian

nationalism and a vehicle of western education and modernization. Publication of magazines in

India during the twentieth century aimed reforming Indian society. Modernizing Indian women

was an important aim of socio reform religious movements in nineteenth and twentieth century

India. This period witnessed the publication of women’s journals aiming to reform the women in

colonial India. This crucial role of journalists during the British Raj has been grossly overlooked.

In fact, several Indian women edited women’s journals since 1850s and their role had been

nothing but exemplary. These journals emerged from several cities and editorials reveal many

unknown historical facts regarding the long journey towards freedom. The long history of nearly

a century of women’s Movement in India is connected with the publication and growth of these

women’s magazines and other movements related to the marginal section of the society such as

peasants and workers movements, lower caste movements and the anti-colonial struggles. This

paper focuses on the women’s magazines and their efforts in changing the roles of women both

in private and public spheres. .

Mytheli Sreenivas argued that historical scholarship of the women’s magazines that

created opportunities to understand women journalists and writers( Sreenivas, Mytheli, 2003,61).

Sonal Shukla argues that the social reformers and cultural revivalists in 19th century published

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women magazines to educate and prepare women the roles assigned to women in their scheme of

things.(Shukla, Sonal, 1991, 64) Himani Bannerji perceived women magazines as a modern

communicative space with qualifications. In this context, it is important to look at the women’s

question in socio reform movements in India in related to the publication of women’ magazines

in India.(Bannerji, Himani, 1991, 55) Apart from this, these magazines also contributed the

development of vernacular language, culture and the growth of nationalism.

Women’s Question and Socio Reform Movements in India

The newly emerged middle class and both traditional and western educated intellectuals

in the nineteenth century were provided the base for the socio religious reform movements in

India during the nineteenth century. Colonial Indian society was superstitious in the nature and

the condition of women was so miserable as evil practices and customs were common. The

female baby was not welcomed to the family and girls were married at very tender age. Sati or

immolation of wife on the funeral of her husband was practiced by the women in India. Widows

were considered as bad women in the society and were not allowed to participate in any social

activities. The educated intelligentsia recognized the superstitious nature of the Indian society

and the miserable lives of Indian women and they aim to reform the Indian society by

challenging the social practices and customs. Reformers of nineteenth century realized the

importance of female education and argued that educated women can make a civilized society

through the modernized family and they urged to fight against the social practices regarding

women such as female infanticide, child marriage, polygamy, sati etc. socio reform movements

in India during the nineteenth century driven by rationality and propagated the democratic ideas

and egalitarian values.

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Rajaram Mohan Roy a renowned reformer of India formed Bramasamaj aimed to reform

India by challenging the existing social customs especially regarding the problem of women such

as sati, child marriage and he argued for the property rights of women and widow remarriage. He

published magazines in English Bengali, Hindi and Persian languages to create political, social

and cultural awareness among the people. Notable magazines edited by Ram Mohan Roy were

Kaumudi and Mirat-Ul-Akbar. Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar who dedicated his life for the female

education and widow remarriages was also an eminent figure in the socio reform movement in

India. Ani Basant, an active participant of Theosophical Society edited two magazines titled

common wheel and New India published articles to strengthen the Indian nationalism. Social

organizations such as Aryasamaj formed by Dayandha Saraswati, Ramakrisna Mission,

Prarthana Samaj were also fought against the evil customs regarding women and argued for the

education for women. Bipan Chandra, the eminent historian has noticed that the distressed status

of women in colonial India and the impact of the rationality and secular outlook propagated in

the social reform movement in changing those practices in the nineteenth century India.

(Chandra, Bipan, 1988,87)

Leela Gandhi argued that British were maintaining their control over the natives by

maintaining the textuality. (Gandhi, Leela, 1998, 17) The Indian educated middleclass

intelligentsia recognized the texuality could encounter it. In order to encounter the British

texuality they started to print and publish magazines and journals which also aim to reform the

Indian society. Newspapers and magazines were published in all vernacular languages and they

published the articles about the importance of the education and eradicate the superstitious

customs and practices in the society. These newspapers and magazine had great role in the

attracting people to participate in the freedom struggle. Bipan Chandra noted that the colonial

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government realized the role of the press in the freedom struggle of India so that they curtailed

the freedom of the press and shut down the 98 printing press and taken the action against the

Indian journalist in 1932. Most of these reformers were western educated and they penned

against the social evils in the society. (Chandra Bipan, 1988, 111) For example, Akashay Kumar

Dutt, a reformer, rejected the child marriage and substantiated his argument by the medical

opinions against the child marriage instead of posting religious sanctions and scriptures.

Nineteenth century witnessed a cultural and ideological struggle against the superstitions

in the traditions. In the religious sphere they sought to remove idolatry and polytheism and the

monopoly of priest in the religious knowledge and to simplify the religious rituals. Ranade,

Dayanad, Phule and Sreenarayana Guru opposed and denounced the caste system in the society.

The end of the nineteenth century witnessed the western educated women reformers and

formation of women’s organizations. Swarnakumari Devi formed Lady Association in 1886,

Pandita Ramabai started Sarada Sadan in 1892 and Ramabai Ranade who found Hindu ladies

Social and Literary club in1902 and Sevasadan in 1909.in Pune. These women reformers

perceived women problems from the standpoint of women and preached for the abolishment of

dowry, purdah and child marriage systems and widow remarriages. Social reformers understand

the importance of reform to ensure a modern, egalitarian society. The reformers focused on the

modernization but did not accept westernization uncritically.

Sumit Sarkar in his essay “The Woman’s Question in Nineteenth Century Bengal” throws

doubt upon the very notion that the early attempts at reform were principally guided by whether

any ideological acceptance of liberal or western rationalist values. He suggests that the concern

with the social condition of women was “far less an indicator of such ideological preference for

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liberalism” and more an expression of “certain acute problems of inter personal adjustments

within the family.” He asserted that women’s question in socio reform movement failed to

liberalize women as women were further caught up in the web of culture, tradition, purity,

motherhood, etc that projected them as shapers of the Indian nation pitted against the alien

rule.(Sarkar, Sumit, 1985,34)

Socio reform movement concerned the question of women with counter the problems

such as Sati, child marriage and age of consent, women’s education and widow remarriages.

Geraldine Forbs argued that the reform movements in colonial India redefined the idea of ‘Ideal

womanhood’ and she point out that freedom struggle encourage women to participate in the

political movements but it did not liberate women from the notions of women modesty and the

necessity of male protection( Forbs, Geraldine, 2005, 3). Private space and participation of

women in to public sphere became the main issue related to the question of women in socio

reform movements in nineteenth century India. Though Gandhi brought women into the

freedom struggle of India, he also emphasized the traditional concept of motherhood. Partha

Chatterji wrote in his article “the discourse of nationalism shows that the material/spiritual

distinction was condensed into an analogous, but ideologically far more powerful, dichotomy:

that between the outer and the inner”.(Chatterji, Partha,1985,240) Indian text essentialized

women as devoted wives and self-sacrificed mothers. When we look at the women question in

the social reform movement of nineteenth century, the women were perceived as the domestic

wives and devoted mothers by the reformers. Reformers tried to challenge the social customs

which adversely affected the condition of women but they were not identified the patriarchy and

gender relations in the family as the root of the exploitation of women in the society.

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Gender in the Colonial Indian Women’s Magazines.

One can classify women’s magazines history into three phases;

1. Reformist phase in the nineteenth century,

2. Radical critical phase in the first half of the twentieth century. during which

most journals became platforms for wide-ranging and hard-hitting questioning

of Indian society, of gender roles and spheres of activity, and also became

vehicles of politicization;

3. After Independence, when women’s journals returned to domestic concerns.

Vir Barat Talwar insisted that the Hindi provinces around the First World War witnessed the

emergence of women’s organizations and groups. This period saw the publication of women’s

magazines by women journalists from the standpoint of women (Talwar, 1999, 206). End of the

nineteenth century the independent women organizations were stared by the western educated

women reformers to provide the employment and education to the women. Sarada Sadan by

Pandita Ramabai and Ramabai Rai Ranade’s Sevasadan are noticeable among these women

organizations in the Hindi regions. Balabodi was the first women’s magazine in Hindi language

edited by the male reformer named Bhartendu Harishchandra in 1874.

Francesca Orsini noticed three Hindi women’s magazines which exemplified the three

phases in colonial period; ‘Grihalaksmi’ (Laskmi of the House) edited by Gopala Devi reforming

women and to the domesticity, another journal titled Streedharpan(the mirror of women)

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edited by Rameswari Nehru propagated education, political awakening and fought against gender

discrimination. Streedharpan published the auto biographies of accomplished women to inspire

the women. Thirdly, a journal called Camd( moon) encouraged full participation of women in to

public sphere. Women magazines are important in the process of modernizing women in pre-

independent India. These magazines provided a platform to express the views from the women’s

point of view and encouraged the female education. These journals emphasize the link between

the dogmas and action by publishing all women’s activities and institutions. Orsini noted that

women magazines form the first phase focused on the role of education that makes women in to

Sugrhinis (perfect house wife) .Differing from Grihalaksmi, the Streedarpan opposed the role

based education, purdah and argued for the politicization and women’s rights. Streedarma stood

for the suffrage for women and urged the women to participate in to freedom struggle. Camd

present women as active subjects and empowered individuals in the Indian society. Camd

promoted civic and political consciousness for women and stimulated a critical attitude.

( Orsini,Francesca, 1999, 140). Sreedharama was a magazine edited by Anni Beasant and her

organization called Women Indian Association invited the women to participate in national

struggle. Arya Mahila was the another journal edited by Sanatan Dharma Mahamandal looked at

the status of women on the basis of the Vedic knowledge. Interestingly, these women magazines

published the articles about the status of the women in other countries also. Maduri and

Saraswati were the two other journals published in Hindi. These journals published the articles

about the life style of women in the other countries. Most of these women magazines published

the novels with the themes of social concerns. Streedarpan published a lot of articles on attitude

of the husbands towards their wives and the importance of the widow remarriages. Streedharpan

gave the advertisements for the women teachers to teach the girls when there was a finding the

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female teachers. The women magazines like Streedharpan, Marayada, Saraswati published the

article with the photographs of the schools to encouraged the women to study. Maryada a Hindi

women magazine published the articles for women enfranchisement and urged the readers to cast

vote for women candidates. Uma Nehru published an article which was more radical in nature

and criticized the revivalist for their attempt to re imposing the traditional figures like Sita and

Savitri on the contemporary women in society (Talwar, 1999, 227)

Sreebodh was the first women magazine published in India in 1857. Shukla point out that the

emergence of the educated middle class men and their drive to modernize their wives paved the

way to the publication of Guajarati magazine titled Sreebodh. It had sections on fiction,

biography, informative articles especially related to science, history, geography, travelogues,

poems, usually in forms of 'Garba' songs and miscellanea. This magazine emphasized on the

moral values such as loyalty, cleanness and harmony in the family. Articles and stories published

in the Sreebodh try to teach women how to be a modernized wife. Moreover, this magazine

published instructional materials about knitting and chicken' embroidery, sketching and drawing

and advised the women to spend their leisure time creatively. He criticized that Sreebodh did not

publish any articles on the any of the struggles for reforms in the second half of the nineteenth

century, so it is not really a journal of reform movement (Shukla Sonal, 1991, 63-66)

Mytheli Sreenivas argued that women magazines have not included women from all

classes as these magazines were edited from the urban areas. Here she focused on the Tamil

women magazines and argued that the journals were edited in both Tamil and English languages

and express the wishes of middle class educated women. These magazines put forward the

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Victorian domesticity and sought to educate women in to the ideal wifehood but they did not

give much attention to the other social structures that shaped the family in the society. Magazines

opposed the dowry and urged for the banishment of early marriages and the importance of the

education for girls. The articles of these magazines revealed the pain and sufferings of the

windows and argued for the widow remarriages. Here she noticed that some of the women

magazines titled Ma¯tar Marumanam edited by Marakatavalli’, a remarried widow.(Sreenivas,

Mytheli, 2003, 7o)

The project of modernization of Kerala is primarily located in the domain of social

reforms initiated by anti-caste movements. The struggles of left movement in 1930s and 40s

have been regarded as the second phase of the renaissance, which dilated and fortified the anti

caste foundations of the renaissance through anti-feudal and anti-colonial struggles and the

uprooting of landlordism. This subaltern dimension further strengthened in the second phase

when the agrarian movements led by the left forces came into being and fought against

landlordism that had provided the economic foundation for the caste system. All this underlines

the fact that the renaissance experience of Kerala cannot easily be equated with that of Bengal

and other regions. If conceived in this manner it would be clear that our reforms and renaissance

movements were very much restricted by the ideologies of patriarchy and caste and also by its

middle class foundations (Ilyedam, 2007, 10). The conception of womanhood emerged in the

social reform movements of Kerala is the notion of an ideal wife. (Ilayedam 2007,9). Private

space and the participation of women in the public space were the main issues in the social

reform movements. Social reformers encouraged the women in to the public space as part of

social reform movements. The educated women were initiated to publish the magazines for

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women like Sarada, Mahila, Muslim, Mahila Sreemathi etc. These women magazine editors

namely Tharavattu Ammalu Amma, Ambadi Ekkavu Amma, T.K Kalyani discussed various

issues related to women in colonial Kerala. These modern educated women tried to get new

space in home as well as in the public space and by questioning the gender relationship in Kerala

through their editorial magazines. Former women reformers tried to eradicate the problems of

women of their own community. Most of these reformers focused on their own community. But

they never argued for the equal representation of women. They distinguished the manly and

womanly space (Binumol, 2007, 290). The community organization also linked engagement of

the men in to modern socio-political circumstances with the transformation of their community

identity from the traditional conventionality to modernity. She noted that this period witnessed a

transformation of caste identify to community identity. In 1930’s and 1940’s the direction of

women’s organizations changed from the community to collectivity. They focused women’s

needs and grievances. The names of women’s organizations were also changed such as Ladies

Association Thiruvanathapuram, Samastha Kerala Mahila Samajyam etc. these secular

association formed a public space for the discussions and debates regarding women’s issue

(Bimumol, 2007, 293). Regarding the issue of women’s education, two groups were formed in

modern Kerala. One group argued for separate schools and separate curriculum for girls.

Training in domestic jobs like home science, tailoring weaving should be a part of this separate

curriculum while other group argued for the mixed education with the boys and higher education

which will facilitate them in to public sphere. Though the reformers were interested in

modernity, most of them were highly critical of women’s imitation to western culture especially

dress culture and costumes. Their notion is that modernization should not affect the domestic

duties and role of Kerala women. But they embraced the economic participation of the women in

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the domestic sphere. It is very evident in the article titled ‘Swathatrayaya Keralastree’

(Independenet Kerala woman) published in ‘Mahila’ by BB Amma. She discussed the privileges

enjoyed by the Nair woman in their family such as property right and stated that Kerala woman

were more empowered in terms of their property rights and their choice in the marriage. But she

focuses on the concept of Pathivratha or the chaste wife with the ideal motherhood.( BB Amma,

1933, ). This paradoxical position in the discussion focused that the Malayalee women was

clinging to the notion of an ideal women at par with the society lady who desire to assume man’s

role.

Gail Menaault argued in her article titled ‘Urdu Women’s Magazines In The Early

Twentieth Century’ noted that women magazines published during pre independent India

created a space for women their voice could be heard. Urudu journals such as Tahzib un-

Niswan edited by Niswan Sayyid Mumtaz Ali and his wife, Muhammadi Begam and Iswat

edited by Rashidul Khairi were championed the women’s education and published articles

against the polygamy and unilateral divorces. Tazib published articles that promoted nationalism

and urged to women to throw the foreign cloth. Ismat was argued for the women’s rights in

Islamic community. Khatun, another journal was published by Shaikh Abdullah and his wife

Waheed Jahan Begam(1886-1939) promoted women’s education and wrote the importance of

the girls’ schools. These journals were encouraged women’s education and argued that educated

women only could be good wife and good mother. Tahzib published the name of women who

have completed BA, MA and medical degree with warm congratulations and exhortations to

other readers to go and do likewise. These journals provided a space to Muslim women where

their voice could be heard.( Menaault Gail, 1988, 49) .

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Mu’allim-e-Niswan was a pioneering journal in Urdu for women. published from the

1880s onwards in Hyderabad, and lasted for fourteen years. Muhibb-e-Hussain and his magazine

took controversial topics for discussion, including purdah and shutdown by oppositions from the

orthodox group(Pande Rekha and Bindu. 157). Annisa was a both education and didactic journal

published in Urdu with a colonial Agenda. Annisda published articles on childcare, health and

hygiene, cooking, home management, religious thoughts, recipes, discipline, travelogues, novels,

poetry, biographies along with reformist and educational information. Writing contests for

women writers were organized and prizes distributed.(Pande Rekha and Bindu. 163) Annisa

published articles About the Muslim heroines and warriors from the Islamic history to inspire

the Indian Muslim women. But it is also noticeable that these women warriors and Heroines did

not fail to meet their family responsibilities. The importance of education and the national

progress is explicit in the some of the articles published in Annisa. The Urudu magazines

published and edited by the Muslim aristocratic class. Most of their articles also aimed to the

same class.

Himani Bannerji argued that print media provided a communicative space for women by

creating a bridge between the private and public space.(Bannerji, Himani, 1991, 54). The earliest

Bengali magazines are Bamabodhini and Bharathi edited by Swarnakumari Devi created a space

for women writers. They worked for women’s issues and conducted essay competition for

women. Ramakrisna points out that the colonial Telugu Journals were published as a part of

socio religious reform movements in Andra and its main concern was to reform the women.

Vrittantini was the first known Telugu journal published from Madras in 1838. The other

important journals in the colonial Andra were Hitavadi (1862),D Inavarthamani(1 862),

Sriyakshni(1 863), Tatwabodhini(1 864),S Ujanaranjani( 1864),Andhra Bhashasanjivani( 1871),

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Purusharthapradayi. and Vivekhavardhini. As a forward looking journal Vivekavardhani

criticized social problems such as caste system. Satihitabodhini,a journal published to focus on

women issues and their problems. He noted that the articles published in this particular journal

showed the keen interest on the participation of women in to public sphere. One of article talks

“Women forcibly confined to homes by their men are not well protected whereas, women who

take care of themselves have better protection and safety”. Most of these journals were

concerned on the female education which was one of an important agenda of socio religious

reform movements in colonial India. Another journal titled Telugu Zanana which meant for

enlightenment and women’s emancipation and female education. These journals more focused

on the upper class and middle class women and their articles dealt with the ‘good conduct’ of

women. By good conduct they mean that how a women to be more domestic in her husband’s

home. Some of the articles were published on women’s health issues. Hindu Sundari was the

first Telugu magazine edited by a woman named Mosalakanti Ramabai. Savithri was edited by a

woman activist called Pulugurtha Lakshminarasamamba invited and gave a space for women

writers to publish their works. The two women’s journals published by Christian missionaries,

Vivekavathi (1908) and Intimations to Women (1912) from madras and Guntur were encouraged

the proselytization activities of the missionaries indirectly apart from working for the

emancipation of the women. Two more journals, Stridharma (Madras 1917) and Soundarya

Vatlli( Madras, 1919), edited by Malati Patwardhana nd Gadicherla Ramabai respectively were

published before 1920s. Krishna noted that the period between 1883 and 1919, from Satihita

Bodhini to Soundaryavalli, was a very significant phase in women's journalism in Telugu. About

ten journals were started, some edited by men and some other by women. Andhra Lakshmi

(1921), Hindu Yuvathi (1923), Bharatha Mahila (1925), Grihalakshmi (1927), Viswagnani,Y

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asoda (1930) were some among them published during 1920s to 1947. These journals were

urged the women to participate in to freedom struggle. The articles published in these journals

dealt with the freedom struggle apart from the reform issues for women. Here, she reveals the

difference between the magazines for women edited by men and women in confronting the

themes. The magazines edited by men concerned about the moral issues such as chastity,

housekeeping and frugality while the magazines were edited by women focused on more

women centric issues such as early marriages, condition of widows, need of the women teachers,

child birth and child caring etc. and most of the articles were written by women authors. Women

editors were perceived women as weak and exploited category in the society and the need for

women to assert freedom to resist the exploitation while the male editors portrayed women as

ignorant and superstitious and the need to educate and reform them.(Ramakrisna, V, 1991, 80-

87)

A Critical Reading of Women Magazines in Pre-Independent India

. Publications of women’s magazines in India during the colonial period are a milestone in

the women’s movements in India. Publication of women magazines by both men and women

started during nineteenth and twentieth centuries as a part of socio religious reform movements

in colonial India. Though these women’s magazines were edited by the men earlier, women

came and started to edit and publish so many magazines soon. These women editors were found

the base for the women writing in India. These women’s magazines created a space for the

women to write and read and acted as a platform to share their thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Studies on the women’s magazines in the vernacular languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Tamil,

Telugu, Urdu and Malayalam during the colonial period tried to reform the women from the

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clutches of the superstitions. Women magazines also shared the motives of the reform

movements in India such as the education, widow remarriage, and condemned the infant

marriages, caste systems and polygamy etc.

It is a fact that women magazines were initiated by the western educated middle class and

upper class of the Indian society. These new educated middle class found that the illiteracy was

the prime reason behind the pitiful condition of women in colonial India. They found the women

in India are superstitious and ignorant. In ordered to propagate the importance of the education in

Indian society for reforming the Indian women, these western educated male reformers edited the

magazines for women. Most of the magazines during these phase focused on the Victorian

domesticity which teach a woman that she has to adjust and do every things to make her husband

happy. Rama Krishna point out that the male editors of Telugu women magazines were focused

on the good conducts of women which appealed women to compromises and adjusts to make

their husbands happy.

Women editors perceive women as an exploitative category and insisted them to fight

against their exploitation through the education. They provided a space for the female readers to

share their experience and had discussion on issues related to women. These women’s journals

also justified the domestic role of women in their family. Magazines edited by both men and

women published articles about sewing, knitting and chicken embroidery and urged women to

use their leisure time useful. They published articles about the cleanness, child rearing and

cooking recopies. Most of these magazines were celebrating nationalism and encouraged the

women to participate in to Indian freedom struggle. The editorials urged the women to throw the

foreign cloth and goods and to be as the part of Swadesi movement.

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But most of the women editors were not embraced the western feminist ideals and

criticized their contemporarily women activist who had western feminist thoughts. As an

instance, Uma Nehru once wrote an article with that criticize to the reimposition of Sita Savitri

ideal on contemporary women in Maryada Hindi Journal. This argument was rejected by the

editor of Streedharapan that urged the contemporary women to venerate these Savitri and Sita

ideals. Partha Charterji wrote about the construction of a new woman by the reformers of

colonial India.

The "new" woman was quite the reverse of the "common"woman, who was

coarse, vulgar, loud, quarrelsome, devoid of superior moral sense, sexually

promiscuous, subjected to brutal physical oppression by males. Alongside the

parody of the Westernized woman. ………..the new woman of nationalist

ideology was accorded a status of cultural superiority to the Westernized women

of the wealthy parvenu families spawned by the colonial connection as well as the

common women of the lower classes.( Chatterji Partha, 1989, 627).

This construction of ‘new woman was nurtured by the women magazines in India. The articles

published in the women magazines urged the women to be a domestic wife on the Victorian

ideals and morality through the western education. Though they encouraged the women into

participate the free struggle but ensured that the prime duty of a woman is to make her husband

happy. These magazines left the columns for the domestic activities such as how to nurture the

children and how to clean the home etc. These magazines were focused on the middle class and

upper middle class strata of the society. They did not include the space for the women from the

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marginalized caste and class. It ignored the patriarchy and the gender relation in the family

which was the back bone of the exploitation of women in in the Indian society.

To conclude, the women’s magazines was published and edited by the women provided a

space for women to communicate and shared their thoughts and emotions. These women

magazines published in vernacular languages aiming in reforming women in colonial India.

Woman’s magazines focused on various problems like that female infanticide, child marriage,

polygamy, purdah system and argued that the importance of education among women. Women

magazines had a great role in the creating awareness of nationalism among the women and urged

participation of women in to the freedom struggle of India. They dedicated the articles for

political empowerment of women by urging enfranchisement of the women and asked the

readers to vote for women candidates. Women magazines spread the ideas of unity among the

women and strengthened the women’s movements in India.