The Learned Women community of the past

Saraswat women are known for their accomplishments and beauty. They had greater freedom, more access to education, and decades of exposure to life outside of their homes. They had been engaged in community development projects while also performing great work as devoted social workers for international organizations.

(www.kamat.com) Brave and Beautiful Saraswat women

The Saraswat Brahmins are a tiny, densely populated group. Of all the Brahmin sub-castes, Saraswat Brahmins are the most admired and respected. Since they were the first to teach and spread the Vedas, they represent the pinnacle of all Brahmin sub-castes. Saraswat Brahmins, according to folklore, are Central Asians who lived near the old Saraswati River, which previously flowed parallel to the Indus across what is now Pakistan, Kashmir, and Northern India. Sub-communities were formed as a result of the River Saraswati's underground disappearance around 1900 BC and the migration of its inhabitants to various regions of Central and South Asia. Another story argues that they are descended from the revered Brahmin Sage Saraswat Muni, who is said to have saved the Vedic writings amid a disaster in what is now Kashmir.

Since everyone in the community is literate, social progress has advanced significantly. Saraswat women are known for their accomplishments and beauty. They have greater freedom, more access to education, and decades of exposure to life outside of their homes. They have been engaged in community development projects of their while also performing great work as devoted social workers for international organizations. Numerous Saraswat Brahmins have traveled abroad, introducing some Western influences into their lifestyles and homes.

The Saraswats developed their way of teaching women. It was a home educational system where everything needed to make life worthwhile was taught, including how to manage a large family, a dairy, a grocery store, and servants. Apart from cooking and other housework, making home medications was a top priority. Not a minor feat in a time when women were viewed as ignorant, helpless, and barely above slave labor.

But when it came to making their medicines, women were always the best. Every home had a bamboo box filled with roots, leaves, and dried fruits that could be used as temporary fixes for a variety of illnesses, from dry cough and diarrhea to migraines and hepatitis. According to historical evidence, women were among the first group of Karkala Bhuvanendra College Ayurveda graduates. That illustrates the illustrious history of female physicians as well as the valuable usefulness of herbal remedies back when there was no such thing as governmental medical assistance.

Women from all cultures sought the assistance of other women because they were skilled at assisting during challenging deliveries. Such selfless people who saved countless lives are forgotten because they never sought attention. They never expected any compensation. They truly served both society and God. The grandmother of Kamaladevi was literate in Sanskrit, Marathi, and Kannada and had a collection of sacred literature. In those days, when bullock carts were the primary mode of transportation, she traveled widely. Girijabai, Kamaladevi's mother, was a pioneer in the campaign for women's education and social changes a century ago. She helped Margaret Cousins establish the Mahila Samaj in Mangalore in 1910, and together they played a significant role in raising awareness of the need for women's advancement.

The Saraswat community is proud of the numerous first-female physicians, surgeons, businesswomen, engineers, governors, principals, professors, educationalists, painters, musicians, dancers, etc. who have graced the profession. Many achievers were occasionally highlighted in "Kanara Saraswat's monthly report. The role of women in the liberation struggle is far too well recognized. Along with Kamaladevi, Umabai Kundapur Krishnabai Panjikar served as frontline leaders for the Quit India and Salt Satyagraha movements, and every home in Ankola (Karnataka) was proud to have a woman fighter who sacrificed all for the nation.

After India became free in 1947, the exceptional status Saraswat women held in the community served as a solid foundation for women's growth more generally. Education-induced winds of change have largely swept aside societal taboos and archaic habits, leading to voluntary acceptance of widow marriage, women's equality, limits on the size of dowries, and other unhealthy practices.