Hi Shireen, thank you for your views on the subject. Although I do agree that a major part of India is Patriarchal, but that holds true for the rest of the world as well.

I am disappointed that you have picked out verses which support your theory but alas, not the whole truth. For Manu law, also upholds various rights of a women along with her having right to property. Eg. verses 9.72 – 9.81 allow the man or the woman to get out of a fraudulent marriage or an abusive marriage, and remarry; the text also provides legal means for a woman to remarry when her husband has been missing or has abandoned her. And this was written somewhere in 3500 BC!

Vishnu Dharma Sutra, that you talk about is anyways a controversial text. It was written by 1 Brahmin in Varanasi in 1600 and probably one of the only few that mention sati.

I might have corrected certain aspects, I do not disagree that in some parts of the country the patriarchy is horrifying. But do take a look at the southern states, which did not have centuries of oppression by Islamic rulers. A lot of the culture in the Northern part of India has evolved because of the violence and injustice by the the khiljis, Tughalqs, Mughals, etc.

Please do look at Kerala’s matriarchal society and Marathi women. I have written an article on Marathi women, hope this helps you understand that India is a diaspora of different cultures and we do have some great lessons from different parts of the country.

https://medium.com/@namita.sawant.deo/marathi-women-stamps-in-history-823035c2cbcb