754 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Shri O. V. Alagesan : The great poet Valmiki who is the Adikavi of our country said this. The reference is only to the general characteristics of women. This does not apply to anybody in particular. Valmiki said :
Sathahvadhanam lolathram
That is :
Women change as lighting.
That is what he said.
Similarly they can change their minds and try to improve. I should like to ask you and the House whether they have not gained by waiting so far. They have gained because in the Rau Committee recommendations, the daughters had only half a share and now according to Dr. Ambedkar’s Bill, daughters will be getting equal shares with the sons.
Again Sir, if they wait, they may get more. Daughters may get two times. Also we have heard on the first day the hon. Mr. A.K. Menon. The other day in a different place we heard Mr. Thanu Pillai., They are very anxious about this and they feel that they are being pushed back instead of being pushed forward. While the rest of India is pushed forward, the Malabaries very strongly feel that they are being pushed backward under this Bill. Sir, they may convince others and the whole land may come under Marumakkattayam, though the matriarchal system is disappearing elsewhere. Our friends from Malabar may be able to convince the other hon. Members of this House and then the whole thing may be Marumakkattayam and that will be a brighter prospect. They will not lose anything by waiting because they have got persuasive powers; they can persuade, they can seduce, they can manage all these things.
Mr. Deputy Speaker : The hon. Member need not use that expression.
Shri O. V. Alagesan : I am sorry. I withdraw the word.
We witnessed the wonderful spectacle in this House, Sir, of a speech which began as a wonderful satire and ended in a sorrowful sermon. Overnight the satire was converted into a sermon. So when we see this, nothing is impossible. It can be improved even according to the protagonists of this Bill in a very radical way and they may have a better Bill if they wait and then they can have the satisfaction of having taken the permission of the country also for that.