Education for Women Emancipation:Swami Vivekananda in Today’s Relevance

Swami Vivekananda was highly sympathetic towards the women’s oppression and insisted on their emancipation. Education plays a vital role in liberating women from their oppression. Because, educating women was the most important way of salvation for India according to swamiji. Education develops thought capacity and enhances creativeness through awakening women on the value of their own humanity and enabling them to strive for distinction denied by patriarchal cultural norms and backward traditions. Education is the means through which character is formed, strength of mind is increased and intellect is sharpened, as a result of which one can stand on his own feet. An education has the capability to develop character, mental powers and intelligence that gives self confidence, and has made a woman fearless. When a woman becomes fearless, she can emancipate herself from any kind of oppression. The word emancipation is related to freedom. In Swamiji’s words, “The idea of perfect womanhood is perfect independence”. Education is the key to unlock the golden door of independence and through enlightening women emancipate from all sorts of sorrow. Education is a tool to open an individual from darkness and ignorance, and then knowledge will shine out dazzlingly. It is one of the opportunities for women emancipation as well as empowerment as it enables them to respond to the challenges; to confront their traditional role and change their life-style. Education eliminates inequalities and disparities as the means of recovering their status within and out of their families. According to Swamiji, true education builds character and develops personality. Education is the lifelong process towards the fullest development of human personality, through self discovery, self perfection, self awareness and self manifestation. The sense of dignity arises when she becomes conscious of her inner spirit, and that is the very purpose of education. These would help in building their strength of character, imbibing a spirit of philanthropy and making the courage of lioness. This article is an attempt to examine the relevance of Vivekananda’s thought on education in making of today’s true and balanced womanhood, and in providing the right type of education to emancipate them through reestablishing their dignified position in society.