Women’s Employment in the Military Bill
November 6th, 1655
Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Vijayanagara State, Capital City Hampi.
Vijay was in his chamber, getting ready for the event Kavya was organizing. Meanwhile, Kavya was occupied with organizing the documents and information she had prepared in advance.
Vijay, amidst his preparations, was interrupted by Uncle Ravi Chandra, who strode into the room bearing a document stamped with a classified seal.
Vijay eagerly seized the document and promptly settled into a chair, setting aside his sherwani to focus on reading it.
"Excellent," he murmured with a satisfied smile upon reviewing the results from the testing of the Dristi Class catamaran prototype. Without delay, he retrieved a letter and swiftly penned orders for the construction of 500 such ships within a span of four months.
Vijay ordered 500 of the ships to fully cover the western coastline of the subcontinent, from the port of Karachi to the port of Colombo. After testing, the heliograph had a range of seven to eight kilometres in ideal conditions and three to four in subpar conditions.
So, taking five kilometres as a unit, Vijay planned for each Dristi Class catamaran to be stationed along the coastline, five kilometres apart from each other. This arrangement would provide both a communication channel and act as a deterrent for any threats from the western waters.
The coastline controlled by the empire on the western side spans around 2500 kilometres, hence requiring 500 ships. Although this might seem like a lot of ships, these vessels are smaller in size and weigh only 50 tons. Given that they are built for endurance and to act as tower defences in water, there isn’t much maintenance required, except for occasional overhauls every few months.
This is much more affordable compared to the costlier Hampi Class sloops or Vinayak Class frigates.
After signing these documents, Vijay resumed getting ready.
*Mumble *
*Hey, Uttappa.*
*Huh? Oh, okay.*
Loud mumbling was heard in the palace grounds of the capital. The people who arrived were all rich individuals who held higher status in society, wearing luxurious dresses and exquisite jewellery.
Although due to the military economy system, their factories and businesses engaged in heavy industry had been centralized by the empire, surprisingly, their worth had not decreased; on the contrary, it had been continuously increasing thanks to the empire growing their industries for them.
*Badum basum badum*
However, suddenly this hustle and bustle quieted down as soon as the band began to play. After which, a carriage with the emblem of the royal family arrived. Everyone on the grounds stood up in respect for the Emperor.
Vijay, dressed in a white sherwani with golden embroidery, walked into the event with Kavya by his arm. Kavya wore a beautiful green Vṛddhim with orange and red gems on it. This dress was the first of her designs and marked the start of her boutique clothing brand, making the dress very appropriate for the occasion.
Although older people in the crowd frowned and scolded Vijay for making the Empress come out in the open, they were the minority. Opposition to Vijay had already been scattered in the empire, and they no longer dared to voice their concerns openly.
Nowadays, if anyone bad-mouthed Vijay, the people whom these high-caste lords considered inferior beings would directly dare to slap them in the face, and the police would not even intervene.
After Kavya first seated down on her seat, Vijay started the event with his speech: "Good morning, everyone. Thank you for attending this event. We just heard the little girl sing her prayers to Lord Ganesh, but let me also start off my speech by reciting the poem that I wrote: It is called Unfurling Wings of Change:
’In the garden of humanity, women bloom,
The resilience, a fragrance that fills their room.
With every stride, they break the chains,
Unfurling wings of change amidst life’s strains.
They carry the burdens yet stand tall,
Their voices echo, breaking down every wall.
From every corner of the Earth, they rise,
A symphony of strength breaking the skies.
In their hearts, the flames of hope ignite,
Guiding them through darkness into the light.
With courage as their compass, they lead the way,
On this day, Dakshin Bhartiya Empire paves the new women’s way.’"
*clap clap clap clap*
The audience erupted into a resounding round of applause, despite many not fully grasping the intricacies of the poem. Yet, as it was penned by His Majesty himself, applause was deemed obligatory. Kavya, who comprehended the poem, was deeply moved. She struggled to contain the tears welling in her eyes, overwhelmed with gratitude for Vijay as her husband.
Vijay had taken this poem from the early 20th-century American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, who was also the writer of the famous literary work "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". Vijay chose this poem as he felt it was the most appropriate for the occasion, hence he did not make many changes to the poem.
The only change he made was to remove the phrase "on this International Women’s Day" and replace it with "on this day, Dakshin Bharatiya Empire paves the new women’s way".
With his same calm and confident demeanour, Vijay proceeded, "Today’s discussion revolves around a matter of utmost importance: the rights and progress of women in our society.
The Empire is poised to make a groundbreaking decision—a decision spearheaded and meticulously planned by Empress Kavya Devaraya, and wholeheartedly supported by myself, Emperor of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijay Deva Raya. Therefore, I hereby announce the passing of the Women’s Employment in the Military Bill."
There was silence in the crowd as the people could not understand what this bill meant. "Women are not going to be sent into battle, are they?" some men joked among themselves. But ignoring these silent comments, Vijay continued.
"In these perilous times of war, it is imperative that there is a medical unit responsible for looking after the injured and sick soldiers of the empire. After having talks with the military leaders, Kavya’s proposal was adopted.
Deciding upon a single Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in each hospital, along with numerous general surgeons, chief surgeons, physicians, nurses, medical technicians, corpsmen, pharmacists, and support staff.
All these positions are available for the women of the empire as well, and nursing is a job preserved exclusively for the women of the empire, taking up anywhere from 47% to 50% of all the medical staff."
There was an uproar in the crowd as soon as they heard these words. "Women working in the military? What sort of an idea is this? I was just joking previously but how can this turn out to be true?" yelled a gentleman dressed in a nice attire in the crowd.
"As I thought, this Empress of the Empire is not so good. She is trying to send the daughters of our empire into hell’s door," he exclaimed.
Vijay raised his hand to quieten down the rowdy crowd. He knew this would happen, but since Kavya is determined to do it, he will support her fully.
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Kavya got up from her seat as Vijay sat down quietly on his.
With a deep breath, Kavya strode confidently to the front of the stage, her mind filled with memories of the relentless effort she had poured into this endeavour. "My fellow citizens," her words commanded the attention of the people present. "For too long, our society has been shackled by the chains of tradition.
Women have been relegated to the sidelines, their voices silenced and their potential stifled. But I refuse to accept this status quo any longer."
Her voice grew stronger with each passing moment, her passion igniting like a spark within the hearts of the women who listened. "My husband, Emperor Vijay Devaraya, has taken the first step towards liberalization, allowing women to pursue education and entrepreneurship. But that is not enough.
We shall shatter the glass ceiling once and for all, proving to the world that women are more than capable of greatness."
Kavya raised her hands and pointed towards the north, where the battle between the Bhartiya Empire and the Mughal Empire was being fought. "In the midst of this war against the Mughal Empire, I took a bold initiative. Let us build the field hospital entirely staffed by women. Let us show the world the compassion, the skill, and the resilience that women possess.
This is not just about proving ourselves to the empire, but to each other. We are capable of so much more than society would have us believe. Let us seize this opportunity to break free from the chains of the past and forge a new path forward."
Nithya Varma, who was also present in the crowd, had tears in her eyes seeing her majesty speak passionately about the rights of women who are held back by society. She was lucky, as her father was very open-minded and allowed her to pursue medicine. However, witnessing the struggles of many families in her life, she knew what it was like for every woman to live in this day and age.
Kavya pressed on, her words a beacon of hope in the darkness. "This is not just about proving ourselves to the empire, but to each other. We are capable of so much more than society would have us believe.
Let us seize this opportunity to break free from the chains of the past and forge a new path forward, together." Her fists clenched and raised in the air, along with her head looking up proudly like a strong and capable woman.
As she finished speaking, a hush fell over the crowd, her words lingering in the air. Kavya’s excitement died down a little as she felt let down by the reaction given by the audience. However, a woman who had no bindi or bangles but was wearing luxurious clothes, ignoring the gazes of the crowd, started clapping loudly. Seeing her, more women joined in.
Nithya, who was lost in her thoughts, suddenly woke up and stood up from her chair, loudly cheering. After that, Vijay also stood up and started clapping.
Seeing this, the men who did not want to clap also had to stand up and clap.
Unknown to the people of the empire, November 6th was marked as Women’s Day in the eastern hemisphere of the world. This was the day when the Empress of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire laid the foundation for women’s rights for decades to come, with the passing of the Women’s Employment in the Military Bill signed by His Majesty, Vijay Devaraya.
The bill enabled women of the then Bharatiya empire to contribute to the war effort very similar to men. Witnessing the brave tales of women risking their lives on the front lines and saving injured soldiers inspired women across the empire to realize their potential in service to their nation, And acted as an example of the bravery and countless possibilities that women can achieve.