Maharashtra villages take steps towards social reforms for upliftment of widows

Mumbai: A tide of social change has gradually risen in Maharashtra's rural belt, with more than 7,000 villages declaring that they have abolished customs and rituals which distress widows and discriminate against them.

Of the 27,000 gram panchayats in Maharashtra, 7,683 villages have held gram sabhas and announced they have gotten rid of customs that discriminated against widows, activist Pramod Zinjade, who has been spearheading the campaign to eradicate evil customs related to widows, told PTI.

The campaign gained momentum after Herwad in Kolhapur district became the first village in the country to ban customs associated with widowhood in 2022 to maintain women's right to live with dignity.

The village passed a resolution on May 4, 2022, banning the removal of 'mangalsutra' (sacred necklace worn by married women) and toe rings of a widow, wiping her sindoor (vermillion) and breaking her bangles.

Over the years, several rural pockets have taken a leaf out of Herwad's book by including widows in Sarvajanik Ganpati pujas, haldi-kumkum events and flag-hoisting ceremonies.

Taking cognisance of the challenges faced by widows in the country, the National Human Rights Commission issued an advisory last year and asked the states and the Union Territories to improve the quality of life of these women and protect their dignity.

Talking to PTI, Herwad's former sarpanch Surgonda Patil said the custom of breaking bangles and removing mangalsutra and toe rings has almost stopped.

''Earlier, we would visit homes where deaths occurred to check if these customs were followed. But now, people are more aware," he said.

He further said a few widows in the village have remarried, and they are included in social and religious gatherings.

Herwad resident Vaishali Patil, who lost her husband 12 years ago, said, "Widows are being treated with dignity and respect. People have realised we are humans. The mindset, however, has to change, and age-old customs cannot be stopped overnight."

She said convincing the elders in families to let go of certain rituals is hard and is still a work in progress.

Pranjal Wagh, former sarpanch of Kadoli village in Nagpur district, said she started the practice of inviting widows for haldi-kumkum programmes much before the Herwad gram sabha's resolution.

"When I was the sarpanch from 2017-22, widows didn't go out and socialise. I would invite all women for haldi-kumkum events and offer gifts to widows, despite objections," she said.

The Kadoli gram sabha also passed a resolution to ban evil customs related to widows, but it is not followed strictly, Wagh said, adding that she invites 1,000 women for haldi-kumkum every year.

Anil Shirsat, sarpanch of Musalgaon in Nashik district, said his village was 90 per cent literate and doesn't follow evil practices against widows.

"We don't have the custom of removing mangalsutra, wiping sindoor and other rituals. For the last three years, we have been using 15 per cent of funds the gram panchayat receives to help five needy widows every year," he said.

He said a resolution to empower widows will be passed in the next gram sabha.

"We will ask self-help groups to include widows and ensure their economic empowerment," he said.

Sanjay Pawar, a member of the Dhondvir Nagar village panchayat in Nashik district, said their gram sabha had resolved to ensure widows live with dignity.

"We ensure they get pensions and homes under different government schemes. The gram panchayat takes care to resolve their problems," he said.

Social activist Lalit Babar, who works in the Kolhapur, Sangli and Solapur districts, said 76 gram panchayats in Sangola took an oath not to follow the age-old discriminatory customs related to widows.

"We have roped in block development officers and integrated child development services (ICDS) workers. When we get information about a man's death, we visit the home to check if his wife has been forced to perform any of the rituals," Babar said.

He said no grieving woman takes part in such rituals willingly and is often forced to do it.

"When we tell people that these customs are banned, they mostly listen. But 10 to 20 per cent still don't comply," he said.

The activist said a draft law has been submitted to the government to ban customs related to widows, but only a law is not enough.

"We need a campaign to create awareness. ASHA and anganwadi workers can be of great help in the awareness campaign," he said.