padmanabha
4th October 2006, 09:04 PM
[tscii:87431ef4a0]She will be 80 next week. She never wastes an opportunity to give a good tongue lashing to the younger women of the day. Today’s woman is modern and intelligent but she is yet to realize her self worth she feels --meet Nafeesath Beevi,
The shy timid girl was born into an orthodox Muslim family, in Alappuzha. At a time when it was even unthinkable that a girl from a Muslim family should desire to study rather than get married this young girl was determined not to give up her dreams. “My father died when I was 12 and my mother young uneducated with the burden of four children on her was eager to marry me off. She thought that a man in the family was more important than educating her eldest daughter” she reminisces. But she was determined that she should never flounder in despair like her mother bereft of confidence or financial security.
After completing SSLC she joined for intermediate at the government women’s college. “Naïve and unsophisticated I took time finding my feet. I even managed to fail thrice before clearing the exam, with a first class. Then came marriage and motherhood, but I had set higher goals.”
After graduation she joined for B L at the Law college at Eranakulam visiting her family only on week ends.
I have been fighting the odds. My success was sweeter as they are hard earned. In life one might be up against many crises but one should learn to take each crisis as a challenge and face it courageously.”
She enrolled as an advocate in 1952 and practiced the profession for nearly four years, when she was attracted to politics. 1950 WAS THE GOLDEN ERA OF COMMUNISM, when many a youth joined the party more by the revolutionary zeal.
But she ahd always been inspired by the ideologies of Gandhiji and joined the congress party. The party at the time was led by able men like Panampalli Govinda Menon, T M Varghese, Udayabhanu, K P Madhavan Nair who nominated her to the AIIC.
She lost to the powerful T V Thomas in the 1957 election by 4500 votes. She mobilized the coir workers to form the coir welfare society. IN 1960, SHE ONCE AGAINST FOUGHT T V THOMAS and defeated him by 4000 votes. She held the post of the Deputy speaker from 1960-64 and twice the charge of the speaker during this period.
“I REMEMBER THE House was full of eminent persons-Pattom Thanu Pillai, K R Gouri and ACHUTHA Menon. It has been my experience that men are always apprehensive when women are proved more efficient than men. In politics, they will never let women come to the forefront nor can they stand woman who hold the ground. Till 1995 she was member of the AICC.
She feels the proposed one third reservations for women are essential without which there might never be adequate representation of women. It is a lot of difficult for a woman to come up in politics for she has to prove her efficiency at home as well as at her work place.
Marriage is not every thing in life. Women should be able to stand on their own feet not just financial independence she should be able to lead her life without always looking for a shoulder to lean on. But women are only too willing to be doormats. She was the member of the States women’s commission.
Our acts are powerful. Implementation needs to be strengthened.
She is however no advocate of feminist movements, and women’s lib. “Woman’s lib is going the wrong way. In hankering for equality we should never forget what wonderful gift womanhood is. We as women still have to go a long way in enriching and enhancing our lives” she feels.
Womans personal law is one where women should rally together for change. Islam give woman a lot of respect and consideration to be fulfilled before a man can divorce his wife. Khoran is misinterpreted by men that they can divorce women at their will. Our personal law needs to be amended for it are not the real Islamic law. But none would take the initiative because this system suits them with the threat of Talaqu hanging over their head. Women are treated like dirt, but even women would never come forward to break free of the stronghold, she says
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The shy timid girl was born into an orthodox Muslim family, in Alappuzha. At a time when it was even unthinkable that a girl from a Muslim family should desire to study rather than get married this young girl was determined not to give up her dreams. “My father died when I was 12 and my mother young uneducated with the burden of four children on her was eager to marry me off. She thought that a man in the family was more important than educating her eldest daughter” she reminisces. But she was determined that she should never flounder in despair like her mother bereft of confidence or financial security.
After completing SSLC she joined for intermediate at the government women’s college. “Naïve and unsophisticated I took time finding my feet. I even managed to fail thrice before clearing the exam, with a first class. Then came marriage and motherhood, but I had set higher goals.”
After graduation she joined for B L at the Law college at Eranakulam visiting her family only on week ends.
I have been fighting the odds. My success was sweeter as they are hard earned. In life one might be up against many crises but one should learn to take each crisis as a challenge and face it courageously.”
She enrolled as an advocate in 1952 and practiced the profession for nearly four years, when she was attracted to politics. 1950 WAS THE GOLDEN ERA OF COMMUNISM, when many a youth joined the party more by the revolutionary zeal.
But she ahd always been inspired by the ideologies of Gandhiji and joined the congress party. The party at the time was led by able men like Panampalli Govinda Menon, T M Varghese, Udayabhanu, K P Madhavan Nair who nominated her to the AIIC.
She lost to the powerful T V Thomas in the 1957 election by 4500 votes. She mobilized the coir workers to form the coir welfare society. IN 1960, SHE ONCE AGAINST FOUGHT T V THOMAS and defeated him by 4000 votes. She held the post of the Deputy speaker from 1960-64 and twice the charge of the speaker during this period.
“I REMEMBER THE House was full of eminent persons-Pattom Thanu Pillai, K R Gouri and ACHUTHA Menon. It has been my experience that men are always apprehensive when women are proved more efficient than men. In politics, they will never let women come to the forefront nor can they stand woman who hold the ground. Till 1995 she was member of the AICC.
She feels the proposed one third reservations for women are essential without which there might never be adequate representation of women. It is a lot of difficult for a woman to come up in politics for she has to prove her efficiency at home as well as at her work place.
Marriage is not every thing in life. Women should be able to stand on their own feet not just financial independence she should be able to lead her life without always looking for a shoulder to lean on. But women are only too willing to be doormats. She was the member of the States women’s commission.
Our acts are powerful. Implementation needs to be strengthened.
She is however no advocate of feminist movements, and women’s lib. “Woman’s lib is going the wrong way. In hankering for equality we should never forget what wonderful gift womanhood is. We as women still have to go a long way in enriching and enhancing our lives” she feels.
Womans personal law is one where women should rally together for change. Islam give woman a lot of respect and consideration to be fulfilled before a man can divorce his wife. Khoran is misinterpreted by men that they can divorce women at their will. Our personal law needs to be amended for it are not the real Islamic law. But none would take the initiative because this system suits them with the threat of Talaqu hanging over their head. Women are treated like dirt, but even women would never come forward to break free of the stronghold, she says
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