Maharashtra: Washim village leads the way to help widows live with dignity

NAGPUR: Villages in Vidarbha have also started following the ideal set by village Herwad in Kolhapur district, which passed a resolution to ban customs associated with widowhood to maintain women’s right to live with dignity.
After the state government issued a notification on May 14 that every village should follow the Herwad resolution, Dhorkheda in Malegaon tehsil of Washim district became the first village in Vidarbha to ban customs associated with widowhood, like removing a widow’s mangalsutra, toe ring, wiping her sindoor (vermilion) and breaking her bangles.

A village with a woman sarpanch, Dhorkheda’s population is 1,350. Sarpanch Sunita Mitkari told TOI they have passed a resolution that no woman whose husband dies henceforth in the village will have to face the oppressive customs.
“On the same line, all widows in our village are allowed to participate in all religious events, festivals, and rituals. They are allowed to wear bangles, ornaments, vermilion, and they are free from oppressive restrictions,” said Mitkari. Other gram panchayats in Vidarbha are set to follow suit in next few days.
Dhorkheda is a model gram panchayat in Washim district, and winner of several awards like ‘Swacchta Hi Seva’ recognition. “We are here to set an example. The village in Kolhapur has started this good work and won appreciation from the state government. The day we received a notification, we also joined in,” said Mitkari. Other villages in the region are also preparing to pass this resolution as the next gramsabha day is approaching, on May 26, in most villages.
In Nagpur district, social worker Uttam Shewde has started creating awareness about this resolution and stopped one such ritual in Banwadi village on May 19. Shewde was in Banwadi to attend the funeral of Dharmapal Fulzele (58). When local women asked for the widow ritual, Shewde appealed to them not to remove the mangalsutra, toe ring, or sindoor of Fulzele’s wife Ranjana.
“I told the villagers about the recent notification issued by the state government. I also appealed to them not to follow the age-old derogatory traditions. I told them about Lord Buddha’s philosophy about it,” said Shewde, who is an expert of Buddhist philosophy. The villagers agreed and the widow ritual was skipped. “All credit goes to the villagers of Banwadi because they respected my appeal. We will see many other villages in Nagpur follow suit soon,” Shewde added.