Widowhood – from cursing resilience to self-esteem.

In patriarchal societies, women are subjected to cruel atrocities that affect them psychologically. Most importantly, when a woman falls into the unfortunate state of widowhood in a male-dominated society like India, it is considered as social stigma. Despite advances in living standards, conditions for widows in society remain deplorable. Many conservative families view widows as a liability. The fact that widowed women suffer from various psychological stresses is often ignored. Several studies have found that such stressors can be harbingers of psychiatric illness (e.g., depression, anxiety, drug addiction). They are culturally, socially, economically, and legally marginalized. On one hand, they have lost their spouses, and on the other hand, they face discrimination of various types and degrees. Against this background, this paper is an attempt to describe the vulnerability of widows in India. The paper is largely based on a review of various reports, literature and papers on the status and welfare of widows in India. In this paper, we have also examined the relationship between widowhood and self-rated health (SRH), psychological distress and cognitive ability.

Widows in India are abused in such a manner that sometimes they are called “it” from “she” when they lose their husbands. It doesn’t stop here; people even use epithets such as “husband eater” against them. “Widowhood is a state of social death, even among the higher castes”, says Mohini Giri, the veteran activist.  In India, people don’t like a widow crossing the path in front of them when they are beginning a journey. Unfortunately, widows are considered a sign of misfortune and bad luck.  Although widows today are no longer forced to die by ritual sati (burning at their husband’s funeral pyre), they are still generally expected to mourn for the rest of their lives. In a more conservative Hindu tradition, irrespective of age, widowed women abandon their colourful saris, jewellery, and even shave their heads to discourage male sexual desire, according to Meera Khanna, a trustee of the New Delhi-based Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia, and a contributor of a book called Living death: Trauma widowhood in India. “The widow is ‘uglified’ to deprive her of the core of her femininity”, writes Meera Khanna. “It is an act symbolic of castration. She is deprived of the red dot between her eyebrows that proclaims her sexual energy”. Widows are seen to follow the rules grounded on tradition, without questioning, such as placing restrictions on their own diets. Orthodox Hindus believe that non – vegetarian food stimulates sexual passions, but they forget that these foods are also necessary to avoid malnutrition or even death. In India, mortality rates among widows are 85% higher than among married women, as per research by the Guild for Service.

Although Raja Rammohan Roy took the courage in spear-heading the draconian practice of “Sati Daha” in the year 1829; the most striking outcome is that he is mostly revered by the Orthodox Dogmatics. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar during the same period had introduced Widow-Remarriage, and alike Raja Rammohan Roy has enjoyed a commendable respect from the custodians of religion.

But, “History repeats itself endlessly for those who are unwilling to learn from the past”. This time an activist Pramod Zinjade – head of the Mahatma Phule Samaj Seva Mandal in Maharashtra, is on a mission to eradicate regressive practices related to widowhood, has started reaching out to the country’s ministers and lawmakers to seek their cooperation in his demand for a law allowing these women to live a life of dignity. Apart from the Lok Sabha members, activist Pramod Zinjade, is also advocating the eradication to various government bodies seeking their cooperation for the cause.

He has sent letters to Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar and all Lok Sabha members seeking their help in efforts to eliminate the practices related to widowhood through gram panchayats and gram sabhas in India. He has made an appeal to the NCW for a direction to the women and child development ministry to ask all the state governments to set up committees for the eradication of widowhood practices in villages across the country.

“Even today, widows are subjected to regressive practices, such as breaking their ‘Mangal sutra’ (necklace symbolising marriage), bangles and toe rings, removing their anklets and colourful clothes, shaving their heads and excluding them from social functions and family rituals. These inhuman practices still exist in many parts of our society“, he said.

On May 17, 2022, after Herwad in Kolhapur district became the first village to pass a resolution in its gram sabha to ban customs related to widowhood, the Maharashtra administration instructed all key government officials, officers and village panchayats to eliminate such discriminatory practices and promote dignity for widows, Zinjade said. “Inspired by this, more than 7,000 Gram Panchayats across Maharashtra formed special committees through gram sabhas to eliminate the practice of widowhood and take a public stand to stop this kind of discrimination. As a result, the National Human Rights Commission and other central government bodies acknowledged this initiative and a recommendation has been made to replicate this model across India“, he added.

Similar awareness and policy campaigns can be implemented through the Ministry of Women and Child Development so that this social evil can be eliminated, Zinjade said in the letter to NCW chief Rahatkar.

Vide letters to the Lok Sabha members, the activist urged them to raise this issue in Parliament and advocate for a law that allows widows in India to live with dignity and respect. “Widows are forced to undergo degrading rituals which is a violation of the human rights granted under the Constitution. Every person has the freedom to live with dignity. The widowhood practices contradict that freedom”, he reiterated.

The NHRC has recommended the central government and all state chief secretaries to create a law abolishing the practice of widowhood in India, the activist said. “We humbly request you to raise this issue in Parliament and advocate for a law that allows widows in India to live with dignity and respect”, he said in the email.

In the letter to Union minister Annapurna Devi, the activist said awareness programmes across the country should be held, and urged her to direct state governments so that widowhood practices can be eliminated nationwide.

Team Maverick