Inde

1959 · rif. 16458 — 1959. Chand Kailash. An Appeal to Members of Parliament of India and the World at Large 1959 a public petition challenging the legal and social preference for paternal lineage in India and advocating the right of individuals to identify through their mothers. Addressing members of the Indian Parliament and an international audience Chand argued that recognition of maternal descent would advance women's equality while eliminating the stigma attached to children born outside marriage. His appeal followed his efforts to establish through India's courts the right to identify with his mother's lineage rather than his father's challenging prevailing conventions governing family descent legitimacy and the legal standing of mothers. Chand Kailash. An Appeal to Members of Parliament of India and the World at Large. Bombay: Society for the Cause of Mother's Lineage Theosophical Colony 1959. One sheet printed on both sides measuring 10 x 7.75 inches. The handbill presents Chand's arguments for recognizing maternal ancestry as an alternative to patrilineal descent. Central to his proposal was the contention that children should be entitled to their mothers' lineage regardless of their parents' marital status thereby removing distinctions that subjected children born outside marriage to social discrimination. Issued under the auspices of the Society for the Cause of Mother's Lineage the appeal sought support for changes in the treatment of ancestry and legitimacy under Indian law. Published during the first decade following India's independence the appeal addressed questions of family law and women's legal status amid continuing debates over marriage inheritance and social reform. The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 and the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 had introduced major changes to Hindu personal law although customary preferences for paternal descent remained influential. Chand's 1959 petition advanced a distinct proposal: recognizing maternal lineage as a means of challenging both the subordinate status of women in family relationships and the discrimination faced by children classified as illegitimate. Blue pen check marks on the second page and horizontal folds. In very good condition. unknown books