‘Brahmanical patriarchy impeded progress of women in ancient India?’ BHU exam question triggers controversy

The question came in for sharp criticism from the leaders of the Brahmin community, who said that it showed the community in poor light.

Lucknow: A question in the MA (History) examination at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) regarding the role of ‘brahmanical patriarchy’ in ‘impeding’ progress of women in ancient India has triggered a controversy with the academia and members of the ‘brahmin’ community taking exception to the use of the word ‘brahamanical patriarchy’ in the modern times.

The question, which was part of the ‘Modern India and Women’ paper, was ‘What do you understand by the term brahmanical patriarchy? Discuss how brahmanical patriarchy impeded progress of women in ancient India’, according to the reports.

The question drew sharp criticism from the leaders of the Brahmin community, who said that it showed the community in poor light.

‘’Such questions portray the community negatively… BHU is a renowned centre of education in the country… educational institutions are expected to unite the society not divide it,’’ said Rachana Upadhyaya, who hailed from the ‘brahmin’ community and a resident of Varanasi.

‘’The term brahmanical patriarchy has been an academic term but it is not proper to use it in modern times,’’ said a historian.

The BHU administration, however, sought to defend the question and termed the controversy as ‘unfortunate’ and without any basis. ‘’The question is in accordance with the syllabus and it should be seen in an academic context,’’ an official statement issued by the varsity administration said.