Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (23 March 1910 – 12 October 1967) identified two forms of segregation—caste and gender—as primarily responsible for the decline of social vitality and the erosion of the Indian people’s “capacity for adventure and joy.” In his exploration of India’s cultural sociology, Lohia argued that these divisions are deeply embedded in the social structure. He even described Indians as “the saddest people on the earth” due to the prolonged persistence of these inequalities, insisting that the country’s true spirit can be unleashed only by dismantling them.
Throughout his integrated philosophical and political thought, Lohia was driven by the goal of achieving the maximum possible equality in all aspects of human life and in the global order. He regarded inequality between men and women as the most fundamental and challenging form: “The inequality between man and woman is, perhaps, the bedrock for all other forms of inequality. Or, if not the sole foundation, then among all the bedrock pillars of inequality and injustice within society, the rock of gender inequality stands as the strongest.”
Lohia cautioned against the belief that economic development alone would eliminate social inequalities. “All those who think that with the removal of poverty through a modern economy, these segregations will automatically disappear make a big mistake. Poverty and these two segregations thrive on each other’s worms.” He therefore argued that the struggle against caste and gender divisions must extend beyond economic, political, and legal domains into the cultural sphere.
He advocated open debate—especially among the youth—to challenge and transform patriarchal mindsets. This required dismantling myths and legends that construct and propagate narrow ideals of womanhood. Such myths, created and glorified within patriarchal society, impose arbitrary and limiting images of women. Liberation from these constraints, Lohia believed, can only come through a critical restructuring of the male mindset fostered by open and fearless dialogue.
By deconstructing traditional myths and reinterpreting them for modern life, Lohia developed an innovative framework for social transformation. Few modern thinkers placed as much emphasis as he did on reshaping the deeply entrenched socio-cultural psychology of Indian society. Central to this project was the eradication of gender inequality. Indeed, a revolution in gender relations formed a crucial dimension of his concept of the ‘Saptakranti’ (Seven Revolutions), which he envisioned as the foundation of a modern socialist society. In pursuit of this goal, Lohia was even willing to argue for allocating more space and resources to women than to men.
In his discourse on the “unique woman,” Lohia offered a wide-ranging analysis of women’s status across different classes and regions, from Asia to Europe and America. He viewed Asian women as historically more disadvantaged than their Western counterparts, citing practices such as polygamy. While his primary focus remained on Hindu society, he also briefly addressed the condition of Muslim women, criticizing the practice of polygamy. He argued, first, that a man cannot treat multiple wives equally, as prescribed in religious law, and second, that the absence of a reciprocal provision for women reveals inherent inequality. If such a system once served a historical purpose, he maintained, it should no longer persist in the present.
Lohia famously posed the question: who should be the ideal for the modern Indian woman—Draupadi or Savitri? He favoured Draupadi, describing her as knowledgeable, mature, courageous, and intellectually sharp, and rejecting the exclusive glorification of Savitri for her wifely devotion. While he did not dismiss Savitri, he cautioned against reducing womanhood to a single virtue: “Woman does not have just one quality. She has multiple qualities. If, in order to nurture one quality, the other nineteen out of twenty qualities are destroyed or endangered, then it is difficult to idealize this one quality.”
In Indian tradition, figures such as Sita, Savitri, Draupadi, Tara, and Mandodari are venerated, yet Savitri often occupies the central position. Lohia sought to shift this axis towards Draupadi, thereby promoting a more complex and empowering vision of womanhood.
He was particularly critical of the social obsession with virginity and chastity, which he saw as instruments of control over women’s lives. The idealization of these notions, he argued, has led to severe consequences—sexual repression, social exclusion, widowhood, and even practices such as sati. Lohia sharply criticized the moral framework that reduces women to their bodies: “Hindustan today has become a deformed society. People’s thoughts regarding marriage and sexual relations are extremely degenerated… all these ideals narrow down to and are concentrated only around the body of the woman.” His critique aimed to dismantle this restrictive moral order.
Lohia addressed a wide range of issues, including relationships between men and women as equals and companions, marriage, divorce, and reproduction, from a fresh ethical perspective. The transformative steps he envisioned for liberating women from both feudal and capitalist constraints remain striking even today. When the condition of women in the era of neoliberal and corporate politics is compared with Lohia’s vision, it often evokes a sense of concern. Women, he warned, risk being reduced to mere electoral instruments—votes to be mobilized and manipulated.
On Lohia Jayanti, remembering him as a “unique feminist” highlights the radical depth of his thought on gender justice. His insistence on cultural transformation, intellectual courage, and social equality continues to offer a powerful framework for rethinking the status of women in contemporary society.
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The author is associated with the socialist movement, a former teacher at the University of Delhi, and a former Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla
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