Bold move breaks a century-old taboo

As many as 2,300 widows from the coastal districts were offered sarees and other articles that are associated with marriagehood, as the ‘prasada’ of goddess. In addition to distributing various articles, the widows were also allowed to take part in ‘Chandika Homa’ and also pull the silver chariot adorned by the presiding deity Gokarnanatha and goddess Annapoorneshwari.

A new chapter
The participation of widows in the Dasara festivities, wherein they were accorded utmost respect, and the offering of prayers to goddess Shakti added a new dimension to Navaratri celebrations this year.

Speaking on the occasion, Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary, who has played an instrumental role in the initiative, said he would strive and pressure the State government to ban the term ‘widow’.

“It is saddening that though we Indians compare women to goddess, have shown least respect to widows. Prayers offered to goddess Durga, an incarnation of Shakti, will be futile if women are not accorded respect. I hope the initiative succeeds in bringing about a change in the way women are treated in society,” he added.