Women through the ages to adorn walls of new Parliament

THE LIST OF WOMEN INCLUDES AHILYA HOLKAR, THE 18TH CENTURY MARATHA QUEEN, DRAUPADI, WIFE OF THE PANDAVAS IN MAHABHARATA, AND SITA, WIFE OF LORD RAM

Paintings of Draupadi, Sita, Razia Sultana, Akka Mahadevi, Ahilya Holkar and other women from India’s mythology and history are likely to grace the walls of the new Parliament building being built as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project, officials familiar with the matter said.

“In keeping with the celebration of 75 years of Independence, the government is considering displaying images of 75 women from the Vedic times to 1947,” an official said, asking not to be named. “These will be including paintings and details of who these women were and the part they played in Indian history.”

A decision on how many women will be featured and how the paintings will be displayed was yet to be taken, a second official said, declining to be named.

The Indira Gandhi National

Centre for Arts hosted an exhibition commemorating 75 eminent women earlier this year.

As part of the Central Vista redevelopment project, the government is constructing a new Parliament building, new residences for the Vice President and Prime Minister, and central secretariat buildings that will house nearly 51 ministries.

It is also redeveloping the Rajpath.

While the Parliament building is expected to be ready by

October, the redevelopment of the central avenue will be completed by the end of June. The work on three out of 10 secretariat buildings started last year.

The list of women includes Ahilya Holkar, the 18th century Maratha queen, Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandavas in the Mahabharata, Sita, the wife of Lord Ram from the Ramayana, and poets and sages from the Vedic age such as Aditi, Appala and Gargi.

The paintings could also include Lalleshwari, medieval Shaivite poet from Kashmir. Other paintings likely to be displayed are of Mirabai, a 16th century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Lord Krishna, Razia Sultana, who ruled Delhi in the 13th century, and Akka Mahadevi, a Kannada poet from the 12th century.

“One of the first women to fight against the practice of burqa, Sugra Mirza, may also be featured,” the second official said.