India has suffered from gender discrimination over centuries.This glaring gender discrimination can be in seen when a widow cannot remarry irrespective of her age whereas a widower can remarry as many times he wants. India estimates around 40million widows,the highest in the world. It is a paradox that in this nation which has a glorious history with incidents glorifying women, widows are shunned from society.A widow regardless of her age has to confine herself to a corner of the house and lead a life of isolation.She has to give up all adornments and her presence in religious ceremonies and marriages is considered as a bad omen.Her life becomes a punishment and it continues till she dies. In the holy City of Vrindavan, a place that draws devotees from around the globe, thousands of widows live in shame and poverty.People around the world know Vrindavan for its temples but in India it is known as a city for widows. They flock to the ashrams of Vrindavan, where they are provided with the daily rations of a cup of rice and 7 cents. The majority of the widows are ignorant of their basic rights because they come from rural areas where little has changed for centuries.The National Commission of Women (NCW) has tried to uplift the condition of these poor women. However with time,as the status of women has been given due recognition in the society,the condition of widows have become better.Many NGOs are working to improve the status of widows in the society but still,there exists many areas in the country where widows lead a life of misery.Superstitious believes and a male dominated society in many areas of the country force a life of isolation on the widows.
Indian society has always been quite conservative and have never favored a widow remarrying irrespective of her age. This is also a part of gender discrimination where a widower is allowed to remarry and a widow is not. Even in this 21st century a widow is always looked down by the other people of the society and even if she remarries or is willing to remarry, she is not considered as ethical. It so because India has a patriarchal society and women are still not considered as equal with that of a man.
Indian society since the ancient times have always ill-treated the widows and have considered them as a burden. However, the condition of widows have changed to a certain extent and widow remarriage have started in India. With modernization and education people have started giving the widows the place they actually deserve. Many widows today work outside and bring up their children alone. Widows are today no more considered as downtrodden.
