As we all know, Manusmriti, an ancient text is quite problematic as it dehumanises women and tries to impose unnecessary rules. And for the unversed, many laws are built upon this ancient text because it is believed to be the first constitution in the world. Recently, the Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) – Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit said that the Manusmriti is regressive because it categories women as Shudras.
While speaking on the topic ‘Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s Thought on Gender Justice: Decoding the Uniform Civil Code’, the Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, who is none other than Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, said that the ancient text – Manusmriti classifies all women as Shudras, which is ‘extraordinarily regressive’. Pandit delivered the keynote address at the B R Ambedkar Lecture Series, which was organised by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. According to the ancient text, artisans and labourers are associated with this social class.
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Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, who is the first female vice-chancellor of JNU, said that no woman can claim that she is a Brahmin or anything else as she believes that it is only through marriage women get their husband’s or their father’s caste.
She also talked about the origins of Hindu gods. Pandit mentioned that no god is a Brahmin. She added that Lord Shiva must be a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe because he sits in a cemetery with a snake and wears a few clothes.
She further questioned why are we still discriminating between social classes when anthropologically, gods do not come from the upper caste. According to the reports, Pandit also said that the implementation of a uniform civil code in our country would be the greatest tribute to gender justice.
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This February, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit was appointed as the VC of Jawaharlal Nehru University for a period of five years.