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Abstract
In today’s world, women empowerment is one of the major concerns and topic of discussion. Many countries have been able to overcome this issue to some extent. But in India, the subject is still persistent and relevant because women continue to struggle in our predominantly patriarchal society. Women are considered the weaker gender and incapable of taking decision on their own. They are expected to follow and live as a dependent on their male counterpart. Mahatma Gandhi the ‘Father of the Nation’ was a strong votary of women empowerment in India. In this paper, an attempt is made to understand the views of Mahatma Gandhi on women and foresee the relevance of his philosophy in twenty-first century India. Need for the hour is not only to educate women so that they attain their rights but to harness the thought process and understanding of males towards females not as a weak gender but of equal cadre. Issues against women like child marriages, rape, domestic violence, sex-selective abortion, honour killing, trafficking, sexual harassment, dowry, etc are still prevailing in spite of already established laws against them. Indian women venture out to make careers for themselves but this freedom has made them more susceptible to crime because laws have become inadequate in controlling the situation. The solution lies in making the society more empathetic and liberal towards issues related to gender. Under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi, we Indians won our freedom, it is veritable that once again by adopting his views and ways we could break the shackles of gender biases.