Women of Power: A Tale of Two Civilizations by Sucheta Priyabadini & Lopamudra Priyadarshini

Women of Power is a book about the roles and contributions of the women of two civilizations – India and Greece. It speaks of women, the roles they've played and the achievements they've made despite many limitations over the centuries. They have sometimes been mentioned in recorded history but glossed over, most of the time.

Divided into chapters each dealing with a different aspect of women’s lives in both countries, Women of Power attempts a holistic look at their contributions. The Women’s Movement and the fight for freedom, the archetypes of women in mythology, women warriors, spiritual leaders, women in business, and women in power and politics are a few spheres this book delves into.

Given how ancient both the Greek and Indian civilizations are, a book that explores the common threads running through them is immediately an interesting idea, in my opinion. Though I was surprised by the lack of even a passing mention of the ancient links between Greece and India, be it Alexander’s campaign into the Indian sub-continent or Chandragupta Maurya’s alliance with Seleucus I. Perhaps, Prof Sucheta Priyabadini and Dr Lopamudra Priyadarshini, both scholars, wanted to keep the focus solely on women.

I was especially interested in the chapters about Indian and Greek mythology given their similarities as ancient, polytheistic cultures with rich traditions of storytelling. Illustrating the parallels between Durga and Athena, the goddesses of courage and strategy, the authors weave in the tale of Goddess Durga’s victory over the unstoppable demon, Mahishasura who was fortified by a boon that he would never be vanquished by God or man.

There is also a story about her Greek counterpart, Athena who taught an arrogant human weaver called Arachne, a lesson in humility before transforming her into a spider. I suppose, that how spiders got their scientific nomenclature, arachnids!

The chapter about how the fight for women’s education and liberation in India was waged alongside the war for independence from British rule is sprinkled with names of women who were absolute trailblazers of their time, such as Kadambini Basu and Chandramukhi Basu from Calcutta University who were the first female graduates of the British empire in 1883. This, at a time, when the British empire spanned the globe.

Most readers may not be aware (I certainly wasn’t) of Saraladevi Chaudhurani, a feminist, nationalist and social reformer who founded the Bharat Stree Mahamandal (Great Group of Indian Women) in 1910. She sounds like a remarkable woman who called a spade a spade in an era when women were mostly silent spectators even in matters that affected them directly. Also finding mention are the fierce battles waged by the fearless Indian queens Rani Channamma of Kittur and Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi.

On the Greek side, Laskarina Bouboulina, the fearless naval commander during the Greek War of Independence shares space with pioneers like Kalliroi Parren who founded the Ladies’ Journal to amplify women’s voices and the call for reforms.

Even as I admit that Women of Power has widened greatly my knowledge of Greek women’s achievements in many spheres, past and present, I do wish the authors had chosen a narrower field and dug a bit deeper. And perhaps written two books instead of one.

Additionally, there are a few chapters where the authors fall into the trap of history textbooks where many people are mentioned in quick succession, with a few paragraphs listing their achievements, without placing them within a context or making the stories relatable or memorable with the aid of anecdotes.

That said, there is one part in Women of Power that deserves a special mention because it leaves the reader with a message about the importance of community, shared learning and hope for the future.

The authors introduce us to the young women of today – Arushi, a Indian software engineer passionate about the power of education to transform lives; and Eleni, a Greek archaeologist who inspires modern women, to reclaim their voices and challenge society’s boundaries, through stories of Greek goddesses who defied norms.

Arushi and Eleni met online during a global women’s summit and ended up creating a cross-cultural mentorship initiative, 'Daughters of Hera and Saraswati'. They seek to empower women from India and Greece and bridge their geographical distance with the ties of international sisterhood.

“The program paired young women from India and Greece, fostering both personal and professional growth. Greek participants taught art forms like pottery and storytelling, while Indian participants shared their expertise in coding and entrepreneurship… The ripple effects were profound. A young Indian girl named Meera, who joined the mentorship program, learned storytelling techniques from her Greek counterpart, Sophia. Meera used her newfound skills to advocate for gender equality in her village, crafting narratives that resonated with her community. Sophia, on the other hand, was inspired by Meera’s coding lessons to develop an app highlighting local women artisans in Greece.”

A famous Chinese proverb states that women hold up half the sky and yet many of them have remained anonymous for far too long. Books like Women in Power are a step in the direction of giving credit where it is long due.