Why Does the West Forget Its "Witchy" Past When Judging India?

Let’s talk about the world’s favourite pastime: selective amnesia. If you flip through a standard Western history textbook, you’ll see a lot of talk about the “Enlightenment,” “Chivalry,” and the “Progress of Liberty.” But if you look closer at how European history actually treated women, it seems less like a fairytale and more like a grim psychological thriller.

Yet, curiously, there’s a persistent habit in Western media of looking down at India as a “backward” place for women. It’s a bit like a neighbour who burned their house down last week, giving you tips on fire safety. Let’s dive into the irony, the history, and the sheer audacity of it all.

1. The “Baby Machine” Monarchy

In Europe, being a Queen wasn’t all crowns and tea parties. It was mostly a high-stakes game of “Produce a Son or Lose Your Head.”

Take Henry VIII. He didn’t just have a “type”; he had a literal body count. When his wives couldn’t produce a male heir, he didn’t check the biology books (which would have told him he was the one determining the sex of the child); he just changed the national religion or reached for the executioner’s axe.

Compare this to the Indian concept of Shakti. While Europe was debating if women even had souls, ancient Indian texts were busy deifying the feminine as the literal power that moves the universe.

2. “Burn, Baby, Burn”: The Witch-Hunt Era

Between 1450 and 1750, Europe underwent a significant period. And by “phase,” we mean a systematic massacre. If a woman was too independent, knew too much about herbal medicine, or—God forbid—lived alone, she was labelled a witch.

The European Method: “If she floats in the river, she’s a witch (burn her). If she sinks and drowns, she was innocent (oops, our bad).”
The Irony: Modern Western critics often point to social issues in India while completely glossing over the fact that their ancestors were roasting women in the town square for “making the milk go sour.”

3. The Dowry vs. Stri-dhan Flip

The West loves to highlight “dowry deaths” in India—a horrific modern corruption, absolutely. But they often ignore the historical roots.

Historically, India had Stri-dhan (Woman’s wealth). This was property and jewellery that belonged entirely to the woman, giving her financial agency. Enter the British Colonial era: they didn’t understand this system and codified it into something that looked more like the European “Dowry” system, where the husband took control of everything.

Meanwhile, in Victorian England, a woman’s legal existence was literally “covered” by her husband (Coverture). She couldn’t own property, she couldn’t sue, and she couldn’t vote. She was, for all intents and purposes, a legal ghost.

4. The “Civilising Mission” (Or: The Ultimate Gaslight)

The 19th-century British used the “plight of Indian women” as their primary excuse for colonisation. It was the ultimate “White Man’s Burden.”

“We must stay here to save these women from their culture!” said the man whose sisters back in London weren’t allowed to own a bank account or attend university.

It’s the historical equivalent of someone stealing your lunch and then complaining that you don’t have enough calories in your diet.

Why the Modern Judgment?

So, why does the “looking down” continue?

1. Brand Management: Europe and the US have had a great PR team for the last 100 years. They’ve rebranded themselves as the “Land of the Free” while sweeping a thousand years of misogyny under a very expensive rug.

2. Snapshot Bias: People compare India’s current struggles (in a massive, developing nation) with Europe’s current status (after looting half the world to fund their social progress). It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison; it’s an apples-to-stolen-gold comparison.

The Bottom Line

India certainly has modern challenges to solve, and the safety and respect of women is a priority that needs no defence. But the next time a Western narrative tries to “save” or “pity” Indian women based on a perceived historical superiority, it’s worth remembering: India was worshipping the Goddess while Europe was still trying to figure out if women were human.

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