Annie Mascarene: Tale Of A Trailblazer

When we look into the history of the Indian Constitution, it makes us believe that it was drafted solely by men. However, little do we know that among the 299 architects of the constitution, fifteen women broke the norms and bent the rules to be where they were. Out of these fifteen, this one flame kept burning until the very last moment: Annie Mascarene.

Anne Mascarene: A woman ahead of her times; Image Source: Feminism in India

These women who were a part of the Indian Constituent Assembly were neither just housewives nor doting mothers, they came from different walks of life. Some were lawyers who were frequently arrested, some were freedom fighters who were repeatedly harassed for being a part of the movement, some were politicians who weren’t allowed into the political rooms because of their gender, and some were suffragettes who fought fiercely to get women the vote. They all had different stories to tell, separate lives to live, and influential roles to play. These spectacular women were led by an even more powerful leader, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. Together they conducted meetings, debated, and put forth plans and executions that would ultimately lead to the formation of the constitution. However, when we talk about Annie Mascarene, she is altogether different. Apart from the crowd, she had a personality of her own.

Before we discover her life at length, let’s read out a letter by Mahatma Gandhi addressed to Annie:

“Even otherwise, I know that you have no control over your tongue, and when you stand up to speak, you blab anything that comes to your mind. This speech also is quite a specimen if the newspaper report is correct. I have sent the report to Bhai Thanu Pillai. You can read it. Such indiscreet talk can do good to you and the poor people of Travancore. Besides, you put the whole fair sex to shame by your act.”

Not only this, but Gandhi had also framed a letter and sent it to Pattom Thanu Pillai, who was a member of the Travancore State Congress and a colleague of Annie, asking him to reconsider the role of co-minister in the Kerala Legislative Assembly that was given to her. While we might think that Gandhi’s take was a bit too harsh, wait till you know who Annie was. A fierce personality, she could rile up even the humblest of souls.

On the 6th of June in 1902, a rebel named Annie Mascarene was born. Belonging to a Latin Catholic family in the Travancore State of India, her father, Gabriel Mascarene, was a government official in the state. Growing up, she saw her father controlling his position with so much dominance and power that it gave her the inspiration to lead a similar life.

Though Annie was quite an intelligent woman, she was mainly known for her contributions to Indian politics during independence. She pursued a double degree course in History and Economics in Travancore. These subjects gave her an insight into the history of India and a firm hold on economics. After completing her studies, Annie stayed in Sri Lanka and worked as a lecturer. After a few years in Sri Lanka, where she learned the nuances of the law, Annie decided to return to India and teach at her college.

When Annie joined the Constituent Assembly, she gave her first speech, filled with sarcasm:

“On behalf of the few females present, I hope you will provide us with enough safety and opportunity to express ourselves in this House.”

When she entered the assembly, her main focus was to represent the struggle of the people of Travancore. She was aware of the conditions in which she grew up, and she wasn’t oblivious to the situation of the people she saw around her. Mascarene concluded that power should be centralized to secure democracy and ensure its proper functioning. At the same time, too much centralization might modify the philosophy of democracy. Annie put forth a sensible argument in the assembly which said that the province should have some independence and speak in different political matters, the center cannot take away all the powers from the province.

Annie wanted to give the provinces room to wriggle around, make mistakes, and learn from them. She often stressed that India has recently found her freedom and is still trying to find her identity. At such a crucial time, the results could be damaging if we started writing rules on a piece of stone. She also supported her argument:

“We are here to establish elementary democratic values, not just for the upcoming election, but for the days ahead, for generations, for the nation. As a result, principles of ethics are more appropriate to address now than concepts of expediency. I see politics as nothing more than an extension of ethics.” Being a woman in politics was not easy. Throughout her career, Mascarene faced society's contempt due to her gender.. Frequently subjected to sexism at her workplace, mainly dominated by men, it was difficult for her to prosper in politics.

One of her first skirmishes started with the Dewan of Travancore, C.P. Ramaswamy. He was hell-bent on not letting Travancore become a part of India, mainly due to his benefit. But Annie wanted the opposite, and the Dewan was the biggest obstacle in her path to integrating her home state into India. In yet another instance, she accused the Minister of Public Works, John E Philipose, of iniquity in the CM’s office.

The then CM Parur T.K Narayana had to resign because of Philipose, but he never accepted his mistake. Instead, he went ahead and filed a defamation case against Annie and also won. As a result, she had to pay heavy fines for all the damages. Through her brave actions and influential takes on the nation’s political scenario, Mascarene soon became a famous personality. But her oratory skills were pretty outrageous, yet truthful. Some said her speeches were powerful enough to give her an entirely different character; some categorized her addresses as inflammatory.

In a society where women were rarely allowed to speak their hearts out, being an outspoken woman was pretty tricky. She was imprisoned for 18 months in 1938 for sedition, two years in 1942 for provocative speech, and six months in 1946 for reportedly circulating rumors inciting unrest. In a society that is often male-dominated, women often go unheard. Nonetheless, Annie made sure that her voice was heard through her speeches. Though her work is not recognized today, it certainly does not mean that they were negligible. It’s time that we bring her out of the shadows of her male counterparts and shed enough light so that her contributions are highlighted.