Title: Women in the Womb of Time: Unveiling Ancient Feminism

Publisher: BluOne Ink

Due to our cultural coding about women in ancient times, the negative statements about them in the Manusmriti and Kamasutra rise to the surface. However, it's important to know another side to such texts, which focuses on women’s economic wisdom and innate intellect. Mukul Kumar’s book Women in the Womb of Time, Unveiling Ancient Feminism is a bold and challenging incursion into ancient Indian literature, including the gaps, silences and misrepresentations that have surrounded the women figures in our long legacy. From this complex book, I wish to isolate three factors that have impressed me the most.

First that it is a male writer who is investigating feminism, both ancient and modern, with a deep sense of commitment to getting at the truth of the heritage. I say this because an unfortunate divide has occurred over time with feminism being identified with a shrill and aggressive mode of protest and masculinity has often been interpreted through the gender lens of physical form. Mukul Kumar has a far more nuanced and comprehensive view in discussing both women and men through well-known texts and arguing cogently that women in ancient India had a status of equality, dignity, and self-hood. He does this without denigrating the men or blaming........

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