FM Nirmala Sitharaman Launches Book, Critiques Western Feminism's Influence

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched her book Shakti: Women, Gender and Society in India in the capital, presenting a nuanced view of India's approach to celebrating women and critiquing the influence of Western feminism on Indian narratives.

“The leftists of the world will tell us that you would only look at women as a commodity, that you don't celebrate her. What is Madhubani (painting) doing then?” Sitharaman questioned, drawing attention to India's indigenous art forms that celebrate women in multifaceted roles.

She underscored the rich cultural heritage of India that venerates women not just as symbols of fertility and reproduction but also for their contributions to scholarship and valor. “We have celebrated women, fertility, and reproduction as much as we have celebrated women for their quality of scholarship and war,” she remarked, citing recurring examples of goddesses like Durga, Saraswati, and Lakshmi as intrinsic to Indian cultural ethos.

Sitharaman criticized the "superimposition of Western Feminism," arguing that its terminologies often misrepresent India's traditional views on gender. “Because of the superimposition of Western Feminism, our terminologies have also become influenced by them. This is a gross misfit,” she stated, urging a conscious effort to move away from imposed narratives and reclaim India's unique perspective on womanhood.