question_answer 12)

What was the role of women in the anti-imperial struggle in Vietnam? Compare this with the role of women in the nationalist struggle in India.  

Answer:

Women played an equally important role as the men in the anti-imperial struggle in Vietnam. Women who rebelled against social conventions were idolised and rebel women of the past were likewise celebrated. Trieu Au, who lived in the third century CE, was a popular figure in nationalist tales. In the 1960s, women were represented as brave soldiers and workers. They assisted in nursing wounded soldiers, constructing roads and underground tunnels as well as fighting the enemy. Between 1965 and 1975, 70-80% of the youth working on the Ho Chi Minh trail were women.   Compared to this direct and active participation of Vietnamese women in the anti-imperial struggle, India women played a very small role in the nationalist struggle of India against Great Britain. They followed Gandhian ideals of boycotting foreign goods and picketing liquor shops, but mainstream politics was controlled by the men. However, some women like Sarojini Naidu, Kamla Nehru and Kasturba Gandhi were keenly involved in the nationalist movement.