Pratibha Patil's black limousine was escorted through the
streets of
Patil, a 72-year-old former lawyer, legislator and governor
of the northwestern state of Rajasthan, was chosen for the largely ceremonial
post by the governing Congress party and elected by national and state
lawmakers on Thursday.
Despite being touted as an important step for gender
equality, Patil's election has elicited only a lukewarm welcome from other
women, with many saying her lackluster political career and rocky road to the
presidency have given them little more than symbol -- and not a leader who
represents them.
''She was chosen for her loyalty and has moved from one post
to another because of that same loyalty,'' said Madhu Kishwar, the editor of
Manushi, a feminist and human rights magazine.
''I have always believed that it's not everything to just
have sari-wearing creatures in politics. It's more important that politics
stands for and enables honest, upright people to survive. But sycophancy is the
only token that works,'' she added.
While India has had several women in positions of power --
most notably Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi and her mother-in-law, Indira
Gandhi, who was elected prime minister in 1966 -- women still face a great deal
of discrimination.
Daughters are often seen as a burden mostly because
tradition requires that a bride's family pay the groom's family a large dowry
of cash and gifts. Their education is often neglected, and many don't get
adequate medical treatment when ill.
Last year, an international team of researchers estimated up
to 10 million female fetuses had been aborted in the past 10 in years in
The result is a gender ratio increasingly skewed in favor of
men: There were 927 women for every 1,000 men, according to the 2001 census,
down from 945 women per 1,000 men in 1991.
With the backing of the Congress party, Patil's victory had
been inevitable. But her presidential campaign was one of the most bitter in
recent history.
She defeated incumbent Vice President Bhairon Singh
Shekhawat, the candidate of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, in a contest
marked by unprecedented mudslinging.
Patil's emergence on the national stage highlighted several
scandals involving family members, including two who are under investigation by
police.
Her comments ahead of the election calling on Indian women
to abandon wearing headscarves were roundly denounced by Muslim leaders and by
historians -- who disputed her assertion that women only started wearing
headscarves in
''I feel that having a woman as the head of state is in some
way reflective of how progressive a society is, but Pratibha Patil is not a
right candidate,'' said Shradha Biyani, a marketing executive.
But there are others who believe a woman occupying the
340-room colonial-era presidential palace will have an impact, even if it's
only symbolic.
''In a democracy like
