HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Women's Rights in India Is Topic of Talk by Heptullah

India's Deputy Chair of the Rajya Sabha, Najma Heptullah, spoke on women's rights in India and other issues to more than 40 students and faculty on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Lowell House.

Heptullah is a member of the Congress Party in India and her position of deputy chair of the upper house of the Indian Parliament places her as head speaker of the Indian Parliament. (The vice president of the nation is the chair, but his role is mostly ceremonial.) Her role also distinguishes her as the highest ranking woman today in Indian politics, and she has spearheaded a movement for more involvement by women in politics throughout India.

Heptullah spoke about the continuing and changing role of women and politics. She has played a critical role in establishing a one-third requirement, or reservation, for women in the Indian government. During her discussion, Heptullah argued that reservations for women has helped integrate Indian politics, but that there should be no "reservations within reservations." She reiterated her stance that women of all groups need to first come together and establish themselves before the government attempts to divide the reservation for women into smaller categories. She also believes that the reservation plan should be phased out over a period of years as more women become involved in Indian government.

Specifically, Heptullah has played a critical role in establishing a one-third requirement for women in the Indian government. Her efforts have helped many women enter into a previously closed and male-dominated parliamentary system at the state level along with the Panchayat, or village-based system, at the local level.

Heptullah's talk was sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe South Asian Association and Lowell House.