7000 Maha villages abolish widow discrimination rituals

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

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PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Mumbai, April 8: 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 discriminate 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 have intimated 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 May 4, 2022, banning the removal of mangalsutra (sacred necklace worn by married women) and toe rings of a widow, wiping her sindoor (vermilion) and breaking her bangles. Over the last 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.