Joint family Vs Nuclear family

Joint family Vs. Nuclear family

Joint family

The meaning of a family certainly depends on your world and religious views. In some places and large family is a symbol of power and wealth,

joint family generally means an extended family say a Hindu undivided family Nuclear family means the family group consisting of the father, mother, and their children, as distinct from the extended family

clsssification hindu family:-

Hindu Undivided Family consists of two types of members :
(a) Members who are entitled to maintenance only, e.g., female members
of the family.
(b) Members who are entitled to demand their share on a partition of the
family. These persons are called coparceners. These being the sons,
grandsons and great grandsons of the holders of the property for the
time being.

For income tax purposes a Hindu undivided family is one which has common property of the family and at least two members.
(1) Common property of the family. The common property of a Hindu
Undivided Family consists of the following :
(a) Ancestral property; and/or
(b) Any other property of the family acquired with the aid of ancestral
property; and/or
(c) Any property acquired by a member of the family by his personal
efforts without the aid of ancestral property, but treated by him as
the property of the family.
(2) H. U.F. may consist of:
(a) All persons lineally descended from a common ancestor and includes
their wives and unmarried daughters;
(b) A male and widow or widows of deceased male member or members;
(c) Husband and Wife; \Prem Kumar vs. CIT (1980) 121 ITR 347 (AU.)l
(d) Brothers only;
(e) Widows of the members of the family

However, an unmarried coparcener who receives share on the partition of joint family properties, cannot form a joint family unless he marries. After hismarriage he can hold the property received from the family as joint property consisting of himself and his wife.

Hindu Coparcenery
Members of the family who are entitled to enforce partition of the family are called Coparceners- These being the sons, grandsons and great grandsons of the holder of the property. They acquire their right by birth. It is only the mi members who are entitled to enforce partition of the family. Female member are entitled to maintenance only out of the family property.
Karta of the Family
The senior most male member of the family is ordinarily regarded as the Karta of the family. If he surrenders his right of management, a junior male member may be appointed as Karta. If there is no male member in the family or the male member is not competent to contract, the senior most female member will be regarded as Karta of the family.

Two schools of H.U.F. according to Hindu Law
According to Hindu Law, Hindu undivided families are governed by two schools, viz., Mitakshara and Dayabhaga. A brief description of these two schools of Hindu Law, is given below :
Mitakshara. School. It applies to the whole of India except the State of Bengal, Assam and some parts of Orissa. According to this school, the son acquires an interest in his father's ancestral property by mere birth, and has a right to demand partition.
But the self-acquired property of the father remains his personal property and the income from self-acquired property of the father is to be assessed as the income of an individual even after the birth of the son. In any case, father has a right to impress his self-acquired property with the character of Joint Family property. Such conversion of separate self-acquired property into joint family property can be effected merely by clear expression of intention, i.e., by conduct and does not require any formalities, like a registered document, to be complied with.
Dayabhaga School. It applies only in Bengal, Assam and some pans i Orissa. According to this school of law the son gets a right in the ancestral property only after the death of the father. During his life-time father has got an absolute right to sell, donate or transfer the ancestral property, in any manner he likes.
Jain and Sikh Undivided Families
They are also treated as Hindu undivided families unless under special circumstances the assessee claims that it should not to be treated as such, if such a claim is made, the assessee shall have to prove that there is some such custom in his family on account of which it eannot be treated as a Hindu undivided family.

Nuclear Family

nuclear family is a family on to it's self. A small compact unit that does not offer much support to the parents. With out the involvement of the grandparents and other family members outside of the "Mom, Dad, Kids" element many families fall on to hard times. Stress, money etc.

Humans by nature are a social creature. To reach our fullest potential we must keep the family intact.

An extended family situation is better than a nuclear family, but a nuclear family is far better than a single parent household.

Conclusion:-  The stresses created by situation all parental responsibility on one man and one woman can cause many problems that we see are prevalent in today's society. Extended families give greater flexibility and a larger support network for all involved.

Domestic volience1

Domestic violence

 Domestic violence is one of the crimes against women which is linked to their disadvantageous position in the society. Domestic violence refers to violence against women especially in matrimonial homes. Therefore domestic violence is recognized as the significant barriers of the empowerment of women, with consequences of women’s health, their health health-seeking behavior and their adoption of small family norm However an attempt has been made to study whether ever married women of reproductive age group in India view wife-beating as justified.

Domestic violence has many forms including physical aggression (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, slapping, throwing objects), or threats thereof; sexual abuse ; emotional abuse ; controlling or domineering; intimidation ; stalking ; passive/covert abuse (e.g., neglect ); and economic deprivation .  Alcohol consumption   and mental illness   ^] can be co-morbid  with abuse , and present additional challenges when present alongside patterns of abuse.

Awareness, perception, definition and documentation of domestic violence differs widely from country to country, and from era to era. According to some studies, less that 1 percent of domestic violence cases are reported to the police.

Classification of domestic violence:-

Physical:- Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, pain, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm .Physical abuse includes hitting, slapping, punching, choking, pushing, and other types of contact that result in physical injury to the victim. Physical abuse can also include behaviors such as denying the victim of medical care when needed, depriving the victim of sleep or other functions necessary to live, or forcing the victim to engage in drug/alcohol use against his/her will.  It can also include inflicting physical injury onto other targets, such as children or pets, in order to cause psychological harm to the victim

Sexual:-Sexual abuse is any situation in which force or threat is used to obtain participation in unwanted sexual activity. Coercing  a person to engage in sex, against their will, even if that person is a spouse or intimate partner with whom consensual sex has occurred, is an act of aggression and violence.

Emotional :- (also called psychological abuse or mental abuse) can include humiliating the victim privately or publicly, controlling what the victim can and cannot do, withholding information from the victim, deliberately doing something to make the victim feel diminished or embarrassed , isolating the victim from friends and family, implicitly blackmailing  the victim by harming others when the victim expresses independence or happiness, or denying the victim access to money or other basic resources and necessities.

Verbal abuse:-
Abusers may ignore, ridicule, disrespect, and criticize others consistently; manipulate words; purposefully humiliate; falsely accuse; manipulate people to submit to undesirable behavior; make others feel unwanted and unloved; threaten economically; place the blame and cause of the abuse on others; isolate victims from support systems; harass; demonstrate Jekyll and Hyde behaviors, either in terms of sudden rages or behavioral changes, or where there is a very different "face" shown to the outside world vs. with victim.

Economic

Economic abuse is when the abuser has control over the victim's money and other economic resources. In its extreme (and usual) form, this involves putting the victim on a strict "allowance", withholding money at will and forcing the victim to beg for the money until the abuser gives them some money. It is common for the victim to receive less money as the abuse continues. This also includes (but is not limited to) preventing the victim from finishing education  or obtaining employment , or intentionally squandering or misusing communal resources 

Effects:

·         On children

·         Physical

·         Psychological

·         Financial

·         Burnout

Domestic violence in India :-

Violence against women is a serious problem in India. Overall, one-third of women

age 15-49 have experienced physical violence and about 1 in 10 have experienced

sexual violence. In total, 35 percent have experienced physical or sexual violence.

This figure translates into millions of women who have suffered, and continue to

suffer, at the hands of husbands and other family members. NFHS-3 collected

information from married and unmarried women age 15-49 about their experience of

physical and sexual violence. Married women were also asked about their

experience of emotional violence. NFHS-3 findings underscore the extent and

severity of violence against women in India, especially married women

Violence by Husbands against Wives Is Widespread

• Married women are more likely to experience physical or sexual violence by

husbands than by anyone else.

o Nearly two in five (37 percent) married women have experienced some

form of physical or sexual violence by their husband1.

o One in four married women have experienced physical or sexual

violence by their husband in the 12 months preceding the survey.

Slapping is the most common act of physical violence by husbands. Thirtyfour

percent of married women say their husband has slapped them; 15

percent say their husband has pulled their hair or twisted their arms; and 14

percent have been pushed, shaken, or had something thrown at them (see

figure).

• One in 10 married women have experienced sexual violence at the hands of

their husband, i.e., they have been physically forced against their will by their

husband to have sex or perform other sexual acts they did not want to

perform.

• Often, this physical and sexual violence causes injuries. Almost two in five

women who have experienced physical or sexual violence report having

injuries, including 36 percent who had cuts, bruises or aches; 9 percent who

had eye injuries, sprains, dislocations, or burns; and 7 percent who had deep

wounds, broken bones, broken teeth, or other serious injuries.

• The prevalence of spousal physical or sexual violence is much higher among

women in the poorest households (49 percent) than among women in the

wealthier households (18 percent).

• Nearly half (46 percent) of married women with no education have

experienced spousal violence; similarly, nearly half of women whose

husbands have no education (47 percent) have experienced spousal violence.

• Twelve percent of married women with 12 or more years of education have

experienced spousal violence, compared with 21 percent of married women

whose husbands have 12 or more years of education. This suggests that

women’s own education reduces their likelihood of experiencing spousal

violence more than their husband’s education.

• Spousal violence is lower among couples in which husbands and wives have

both been to school and are equally educated (23 percent) than among

couples where the husband has more education than the wife (36 percent).

• The cycle of domestic violence is repeated across generations. Women

whose mothers were beaten by their fathers are twice as likely to experience

violence as women whose mothers were not beaten by their fathers: 60

percent, compared with 30 percent.

• Women married to men who get drunk frequently are more than twice as likely

to experience violence as women whose husbands do not drink alcohol at all.

However, even though alcohol is important, it is not the only factor accounting

for the high prevalence of violence against women, as 30 percent of even

women whose husbands do not drink have experienced spousal violence.

Never Married Women Also Experience Physical and Sexual Violence

• Sixteen percent of never married women have experienced physical violence

since they were 15 years of age, generally by a parent, a sibling, or a teacher.

• One percent of never married women report having ever been sexually

abused by anyone. Among never married women who have experienced

sexual violence, 27 percent say that the perpetrator of the violence was a

relative.

Most Women Do Not Seek Help When They Are Abused

• Only one in four abused women have ever sought help to try to end the

violence they have experienced. Two out of three women have not only never

sought help, but have also never told anyone about the violence.

• Abused women most often seek help from their families.

• Few abused women seek help from any institutional source such as police,

medical institutions, or social service organizations. Only 2 percent of abused

women have ever sought help from the police.

Majority of Women and Men Say That a Husband Is Justified in Beating His

Wife

• More than half of women (54 percent) and men (51 percent) agree that it is

justifiable for a husband to beat his wife under some circumstances.

o Women and men most often agree that wife beating is justified when

the wife disrespects her in-laws.

o Neglect of the house or children is the second most commonly agreed

to justification for wife beating for both women and men.

The Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005,

What specific provisions of law deal with domestic violence?

In 1983, domestic violence was recognised as a specific criminal offence by the introduction of section 498-A into the Indian Penal Code. This section deals with cruelty by a husband or his family towards a married woman. Four types of cruelty are dealt with by this law:

·         conduct that is likely to drive a woman to suicide,

·         conduct which is likely to cause grave injury to the life, limb or health of the woman,

·         harassment with the purpose of forcing the woman or her relatives to give some property, or

·         harassment because the woman or her relatives is unable to yield to demands for more money or does not give some property.

The punishment is imprisonment for upto three years and a fine. The complaint against cruelty need not be lodged by the person herself. Any relative may also make the complaint on her behalf.

What can a woman do to prevent domestic violence?

One option is to get the woman's husband to execute a "bond to keep peace", or a "bond of good behaviour" through the Executive, Magistrate who can order the husband to put a stop to domestic violence. The husband can also be asked to deposit securities (i.e. money or property) that will be forfeited if he continues to act violently. ?

Conclusion:-

women belonging to low socio-economic status are more likely to agree with each of the different reasons justifying wife-beating. Again domestic violence is more among lower autonomy and women belonging to low socio-economic status.

MODERN woman

Modern Woman

Medieval India was not women's age it is supposed to be the 'dark age' for them. Medieval India saw many foreign conquests, which resulted in the decline in women's status. When foreign conquerors like Muslims invaded India they brought with them their own culture. For them women was the sole property of her father, brother or husband and she does not have any will of her own. This type of thinking also crept into the minds of Indian people and they also began to treat their own women like this. One more reason for the decline in women's status and freedom was that original Indians wanted to shield their women folk from the barbarous Muslim invaders. As polygamy was a norm for these invaders they picked up any women they wanted and kept her in their "harems". In order to protect them Indian women started using 'Purdah', (a veil), which covers body. Due to this reason their freedom also became affected. They were not allowed to move freely and this lead to the further deterioration of their status. These problems related with women resulted in changed mindset of people. Now they began to consider a girl as misery and a burden, which has to be shielded from the eyes of intruders and needs extra care. Whereas a boy child will not need such extra care and instead will be helpful as an earning hand. Thus a vicious circle started in which women was at the receiving end. All this gave rise to some new evils such as Child Marriage, Sati, Jauhar and restriction on girl education

The plight of women in medieval India and at the starting of modern India can be summed up in the words of great poet Rabindranath Tagore:
"O Lord Why have you not given woman the right to conquer her destiny?
Why does she have to wait head bowed,
By the roadside, Waiting with tired patience,
Hoping for a miracle in the morrow?"

Modern Indian Women
The status of women in modern India is a sort of a paradox. If on one hand she is at the peak of ladder of success, on the other hand she is mutely suffering the violence afflicted on her by her own family members. As compared with past women in modern times have achieved a lot but in reality they have to still travel a long way. Their path is full of roadblocks. The women have left the secured domain of their home and are now in the battlefield of life, fully armored with their talent. They had proven themselves. But in India they are yet to get their dues. The sex ratio of India shows that the Indian society is still prejudiced against female. There are 933 females per thousand males in India according to the census of 2001, which is much below the world average of 990 females. There are many problems which women in India have to go through daily. These problems have become the part and parcel of life of Indian women and some of them have accepted them as their fate.

The main problems of Indian women includes:

·         Malnutrition
Generally in India, women are the one who eat last and least in the whole family. So they eat whatever is left after men folk are satiated. As a result most of the times their food intake does not contain the nutritional value required in maintaining the healthy body. In villages, sometimes women do not get to eat the whole meal due to poverty. The UNICEF report of 1996 clearly states that the women of South Asia are not given proper care, which results in higher level of malnutrition among the women of South Asia than anywhere else in the world. This nutritional deficiency has two major consequences for women first they become anemic and second they never achieve their full growth, which leads to an unending cycle of undergrowth as malnourished women cannot give birth to a healthy baby.

·         Poor Health
The malnutrition results in poor health of women. The women of India are prejudiced from the birth itself. They are not breastfed for long. In the want of a son the women wants to get pregnant as soon as possible which decreases the caring period to the girl child whereas the male members get adequate care and nutrition. Women are not given the right to free movement that means that they cannot go anywhere on their own if they want and they have to take the permission of male member of family or have to take them along. This results in decrease in women's visit to doctor and she could not pay attention to her health as a result.

·         Maternal Mortality
The mortality rate in India is among highest in the world. As females are not given proper attention, which results in the malnutrition and then they are married at an early age which leads to pregnancies at younger age when the body is not ready to bear the burden of a child. All this results in complications, which may lead to gynecological problems, which may become serious with time and may ultimately, lead to death.

·         Lack of education
In India women education never got its due share of attention. From the medieval India women were debarred from the educational field. According to medieval perception women need just household education and this perception of medieval India still persists in villages of India even today. Girls are supposed to fulfill domestic duties and education becomes secondary for them whereas it is considered to be important for boys. Although scenario in urban areas has changed a lot and women are opting for higher education but majority of Indian population residing in villages still live in medieval times. The people of villages consider girls to be curse and they do not want to waste money and time on them as they think that women should be wedded off as soon as possible.

The main reason for not sending girls to school is the poor economic condition. Another reason is far off location of schools. In Indian society virginity and purity is given utmost importance during marriage and people are afraid to send their girl child to far off schools were male teacher teach them along with boys.

The lack of education is the root cause for many other problems. An uneducated mother cannot look after her children properly and she is not aware of the deadly diseases and their cure, which leads to the poor health of the children. An uneducated person does not know about hygiene this lack of knowledge of hygiene may lead to poor health of the whole family.

·         Mistreatment
In India violence against women is a common evil. Not just in remote parts but in cities also women bear the brunt. They are subjected to physical and mental violence. They are the one who work most but are not given their due. The women is not safe anywhere neither at home nor at workplace. Every hour a woman is raped in India and every 93 minutes a woman is burnt to death due to dowry problem. There are many laws such as The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, The Hindu Succession Act of 1956, The Hindu Widow Remarriage Act of 1856, The Hindu Women Right to Property Act of 1937, The Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961, to protect women and punishment is severe but the conviction rate of crime against women is very low in India.

·         Overworked
Indian women work more than men of India but their work is hardly recognized as they mainly do unskilled work. Their household chores is never counted as a work, if a woman is working in a field to help her husband it will also be not counted as a work. A study conducted by Mies in 1986 states that in Andhra Pradesh a woman works around 15 hours a day during the agricultural season whereas a male on an average works for around 7-8 hours.

·         Lack of power
In India a large percentage of women do not have power. They cannot take decisions independently not even related to their own life. They have to take permission of male members for each and every issue. They don't have any say in important household matters and not in matter of their own marriage.

·         Marriage
The family mainly fixes the marriages in India. The scenario in villages is very bad. The girl is not consulted[r6] but is told to marry a guy whom her family has chosen for him. They are taught to abide by the whims and fancies of their husbands. Going against the wishes of husband is considered to be a sin. In marriage husband always has the upper hand. The groom and his parents show as if they are obliging the girl by marrying her and in return they demand hefty dowry.

·         Dowry
It's a serious issue. Courts are flooded with cases related to death due to dowry harassment by husband and in laws. In ancient times women were given 'Stridhan' when they departed from the house of their parents. This amount of money was given to her as a gift which she can use on her and her children but her in-laws did not have any right on that amount. This amount was supposed to help the girl in time of need. Slowly this tradition became obligatory and took the form of dowry. Nowadays parents have to give hefty amount in dowry, the in laws of their girl are not concerned whether they can afford it or not. If a girl brings large amount of dowry she is given respect and is treated well in her new home and if she does not bring dowry according to expectations of her in laws then she has to suffer harassment. Due to this evil practice many newly wed women of India have to lose their lives.

·         Female infanticide/foeticide
As women were supposed to be and in some areas of India are still considered to be curse by some strata of society their birth was taken as a burden. So in past times they were killed as soon as they were born. In some of the Rajput clans of Rajasthan newly born girl child was dropped in a large bowl of milk and was killed. Today with the help of technology the sex of the unborn baby is determined and if it is a girl child then it is aborted down. In all this procedure women do not have any say they have to do according to the wish of their husbands even if she does not wan to abort she have any choice.

·         Divorce
The divorce rate in India is not so high compared to western countries but it does not mean that marriages are more successful here. The reason behind low level of divorce rate is that it is looked down by the society. It is regarded as the sign of failure of marriage, especially of women. She is treated as if she has committed some crime by divorcing her husband. In some communities like Muslims women did not have the right to divorce their husband they were divorced at just the pronouncement of " I divorce you" by their husband thrice and they could not do anything except to be the mute spectator. Recently Muslim Law Board has given right of divorce to women. After divorce women is entitled to get her "Mehr" for herself and her children's sustenance. In Hindu society women get maintenance for themselves and their children after divorce.

Though there are problems in the lives of Indian women but they are always ready to fight all the odds and enjoy their life to the full they have their own talent, hobbies, and they socialize according to Indian customs

Recreational Activities
Indian women pass her free time with her family or socializing with her friends and husband's family. The major part of housewives time is spent in looking after the family especially children.

Women's Struggle And Reforms
Though women of India are not at par with her counterpart in Western world but she is struggling hard to make her mark in men's world. We can count on certain names from the British India where women put the example of extraordinary bravery which even men might not be able to show. Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi was the one such woman. She was the one who put even British rulers to shame with her extraordinary feats in battle. She fought for her kingdom, which Dalhousie, British Governor General, had unlawfully annexed. She was in a true sense the leader of uprising of 1857. There are certain men who took the cause of women in India. There have been social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Swami Vivekanand, Swami Dayananda Saraswati who have helped women gain their previous status in society.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Born on 22nd may 1772 he was the torchbearer of social reforms for the women. He was strictly against the evils prevalent in society in his time. He is the one who has done women a great favor by abolishing Sati lawfully. It was due to his efforts that Lord William Bentinck banned the custom of Sati in 1829. Though this law was not a great deterrent but it changed mindset of people to some extent. Ram Mohan Roy also did great work in the field of women education. He was against child marriage and favored widow remarriage. He himself married a widow thus setting the example for the whole society. Along with 'Dwarka Nath Tagore' he founded "Brahmo Samaj" for the reform of Indian society and emancipation of women.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was popularly known as Vidyasager, which means sea of knowledge. Testifying to his name he was truly the sea of knowledge. He was a pillar of social reform movement of Bengal in 19th century. He widely read ancient Hindu scriptures and came to know that the gender divide which was prevalent in Bengal was not encoded in our ancient texts instead it is the politics to keep women subordinate to men. He strongly supported women education in Bengal and went door to door to persuade people to send their girl child to school. He also did a lot in the field of widow remarriage. He opened many schools for girls.

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule
Born on April 11, 1827, Pune, Jyotirao Govindrao Phule was a real philanthropist. He was the one to open first girl school in India. He is also credited with opening first home for widows of the upper caste and a home for newborn girl children so that they can be saved from female infanticide.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati
He was the founder of Arya Samaj and gave a cry, "back to Vedas". He translated Vedas from Sanskrit to Hindi so that a common man can read it and understand that the Vedic Hindu scriptures gave utmost importance to women. He emphasized for the equal rights for women in every field. He tried to change the mindset of people with his Vedic teachings.

Mahatma Gandhi
The social reformers of 19th century laid down the stage for the emancipation of women but it was Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi under whose influence these reforms reached masses[r10]. He was the one who liberated Indian women from the clutches of 'Purdah' and other social evils. He brought them from their confinement and asked them to participate in the struggle for independence. According to him women should be liberated from the slavery of kitchen only then their true potential could be realized. He said that responsibility of household is important for women but it should not be the only one. In fact she should come forward to share the responsibilities of nation.

When Gandhiji came to the stage of Indian struggle for independence then the average life span of Indian women was 27 years and only 2%women were educated this shows what a Herculean task it was to bring the women of India who was not getting her basic rights to fight for the cause of the nation. But it was due to his efforts that so many women like Sarojini Naidu, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta Kriplani and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur came forward. He spread the message of equality of the gender to the masses and criticized the desire of Indian people to have male child instead of a female. Gandhiji was strictly against the child marriage and favored widow remarriage. He urged the youth to come forward and accept young widows as their life partner. He said that the girls are also capable of everything boys can do but the need of the time is to give them opportunities so that they can prove themselves. It was mainly due to his efforts that when India got independence 'right to vote' came naturally to Indian women whereas in other developed nations like England and America women got this right very late and that too after lot of protest.

Current Scenario
Some Bright Spots

·   India has world's largest number of professionally qualified women.

·   India has largest population of working women in the world.

·   India has more number of doctors, surgeons, scientists, professors than the United States

Women Achiever
With the help of these social reformers women of India slowly started recognizing her true potential. She started questioning the rules laid down for her by the society. As a result, started breaking barriers and earned a respectable position in the world. Today Indian women have excelled in each and every field from social work to visiting space station. There is no arena, which remained unconquered by Indian women. Whether it is politics, sports, entertainment, literature, technology everywhere we can hear applauses for her.
Politics
Women of India are highly active today in this area. Sarojini Naidu, Vijaylakshami Pandit, Sucheta Kriplani were the torchbearer for the women of India. Mrs.Vijay Lkshami Pandit was the first Indian woman to hold a post in the cabinet. Thus paving the way for other women. The most important name in the category of women politicians of recent times is Mrs Indira Gandhi. She was the one who made world stop and notice the talent and potential of Indian women. She was the first women Prime Minister of independent India. Today her daughter-in law Mrs Sonia Gandhi is following her footsteps and leading the Indian National Congress.

Other women who have made their name in politics of India are Shiela Dixit, Uma Bharti, Jayalalitha, Vasundhra Raje and Mamata Banerjee.
Sports
Indian women have achieved great laurels for the nation in every sport. Whether it is cricket or hockey India have national women team for every game. Indian women cricket team has won Asia Cup of 2004 and 2005 and made country proud. Some women sports icons of India are:

·   P.T. Usha (Athletics)

·   Kunjarani Devi (Weight lifting)

·   Diana Edulji (Cricket)

·   Sania Mirza (Tennis)

·   Karnam Malleshwari (Weight lifting)

Art and Entertainment
This arena is full of Indian women. We have many names to boast of like M.S. Subbulakshmi, Indian Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle as famous singers. Madhu Bala, Rekha, Aishwarya Rai as Bollywood queens. Today Indian woman is a painter, an actor, a singer, and a beauty queen.
Literature
In past women of India used to write, but their work did not get the recognition. Today they are getting their dues. Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Kiran Desai, Shobhaa De, Jhumpa Lahiri are famous names in Indian literature. Not just in India now these women are recognized all over the world. Arundhati Roy has been awarded with the Booker Prize of 1997 for her work "God of Small Things". Kiran Desai has been given Booker Prize of 2006 and Jhumpa Lahiri got recognition in the form of Pulitzer prize.
Corporate Divas
Kiran Majumdar Shaw is the undisputed corporate queen of India. She is the richest Indian woman. She is the MD of Biocon India. She is the wealthiest entrepreneur of India Kiran wanted to become a doctor but could not get admission in medical colleges but even then she did not lose courage and went on to become India's first woman 'Brew Master' and subsequently corporate queen. Another names in this list include Vidya Mohan Chhabaria, Chairperson of Jumbo Group, Naina Lal Kidwai, Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of HSBC Securities and Capital Market, Sullaijja Firodia Motwani and Mallika Srinivasan.
Social saints
The Indian saint of today's times Mother Teresa is the name which every Indian whether rich or poor is familiar with. She was the person who used to consider the smile of her countrymen as her wealth. She worked for those whom even their own families have deserted. She did not care whether she is in the company of a person suffering from communicable disease or whether it is day or night. Whenever or wherever one needed her she was present. She opened various homes for these people most famous of which is 'Nirmal Hriday". It is open to everyone irrespective of caste, creed or religion.

Another important names working for the cause of people includes Aruna Roy who worked for the save RTI Campaign and Medha Patekar who is associated with Narmada Bachao Andolan.
Universal Queens
Indian women have not just made their mark on earth but they have engraved their name in the whole universe by flying to space. Kalpana Chawla, who was the member of Colombia Space Shuttle, which exploded on its way back, was the first Indian women astronaut who visited space station. And now following on her footsteps another women of Indian origin Sunita Williams has become the second one to be the member of International Space Station crew.

Indian women have mastered anything and everything which a woman can dream of. But she still has to go a long way to achieve equal status in the minds of Indian men. The desire of Indian women can be best summed up in the following lines of 'Song of an African Women':

I have only one request.
I do not ask for money
Although I have need of it,
I do not ask for meat . . .
I have only one request,

And all I ask is
That you remove
The road block
From my path.