National Women's Day 2025: History, Significance, and Celebration

India celebrates National Women's Day every year on February 13 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, a leading figure in India's independence movement, a celebrated poet, and a champion of women's rights. Also known as the "Nightingale of India", Sarojini Naidu's contributions to the nation go far beyond her literary works. National Women's Day is a reminder of the ongoing need for women's empowerment, gender equality, and the importance of providing leadership opportunities for women in all sectors.

The Nightingale of India: Sarojini Naidu

Born on February 13, 1879, Sarojini Naidu was a prominent activist and politician who played a crucial role in India’s struggle for independence. She was an excellent activist, politician, and writer who made remarkable contributions to India's struggle for freedom. 

She was an active participant in the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement. Naidu was an ardent crusader for education for women, voting rights for women, and political rights for women. In 1947, she was made the first woman Governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh). She wrote poems with themes of patriotism, nature, and women's resilience. Naidu also worked with other notable leaders to agitate for equal pay, remarriage of widows, and prohibition of child marriage.

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Significance and Observance

The observance of National Women's Day also promotes policies and programs for improving the status of women in India, also known as National Women Empowerment Day. These are education, employment, entrepreneurship, and politics, with a view to ensuring that women have equal opportunities in every area of life. The observance celebrates the significant roles and contributions of Indian women in politics, business, science, and sports.

Milestones in Women's Rights in India

India has several milestones of the women's rights movement, marking achievements and signaling continued challenges. The call by the Women's Indian Association in 1917 for women's right to vote marks the milestone of an achievement. The legal equality of women and equal voting rights for women in India in 1947, the enactment of the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 entitling women to equal inheritance rights, the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Indian Constitution of 1992 reserving 33% of the seats in the local government for women, and the enactment of the Women's Reservation Bill in 2023 giving 33% reservation of seats to women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures are milestones marking achievements. Celebrations and Initiatives.

National Women's Day is remembered through celebrations and activities by government offices, schools, colleges and universities, NGOs, corporate houses, and local communities. The celebrations are aimed at celebrating Sarojini Naidu's legacy and gender equality and empowerment of women.

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