WIDOWS IN INDIA

Jennifer Jimenez

Bapsi Sidhwa

http://www.woman.com.pk/bapsi-sidhwa.html

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/water-bapsi sidhwa/1101330824

• What is a widow?

• How is a widow in India different than a window in the United States.

• Don’t take your freedom for granted.

Dictionary meaning of widow: A woman who has lost her husband by death and has not remarried.

U.S.A

INDIAA woman who lost her husband in an

arranged marriage and cannot remarry.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3859520.ecehttp://widowsofvrindavan.blogspot.com/

http://www.socialmantra.in/artsetc/Glimpses-of-India-7/Glimpses-of-India-7-page-2.html

Ashram’s in India

Dictionary definition:1. A hermitage, monastic

community, or other place of religious retreat for Hindus.

2. A place of religious retreat or community life modeled on the Indian ashram.

So what is an ashram?

What is an ashram to Indian widows?

• An ashram is where the widows are taken to after the death of their husband.

• They are neglected from society and their families.

• They are considered a financial burden to their families.

• It doesn’t matter how old they are.

• Are shunned from society when their husbands die, not for religious reasons,

but because of tradition.• Poorest of the poor.

https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/topic/vrindavan/

What can’t Indian widows

do that American widows

can?

• Cannot remarry• Cannot wear jewelry

• Have to wear white at all times• Cannot talk, touch, look, or even let their

shadows touch others who are not widows • They are forced to shave their hair off

• To earn money, they have go out in public and beg others for money

• They dance in public for food

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-indian-widow-shavihg-her-head-image14300771pensions

http://article.wn.com/view/2012/05/13/Lottery_results_for_May_12/

STATISTICS

• Over 40 million widows in India

• Only 28% of them are eligible for income

• Out of the 28% only 11% actually receive the payments to which they're entitled

http://www.worldvision.org/news.nsf/news/advocacy-womens-advocate-200909-enews

Bethany Roberts• Single mother and fashion

model• Shaved her whole head at the

courtyard of Seattle’s Westlake Center mall.

• Not only did she shave her own head, but she convinced eight others to join her.

Why you may ask?• She came to learn about the

difficulty of Hindu widows in India, where women are

traditionally considered a part of their husband’s body. When their husbands die, they are no longer considered fully alive. They are kicked out of their

homes upon the death of their husbands, their heads are

shaved, and they are expected to beg for food until they die.

“I wanted to tear my hair out,” she says, “because I couldn’t do anything about their situations. I was completely overwhelmed.” - Bethany Roberts

Don’t take anything in life granted. Even the little things in life matter!

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/widow?s=thttp://articles.cnn.com/2007-07-05/world/damon.india.widows_1_widows-vrindavan-india?_s=PM:WORLDhttp://google.comhttp://dictionary.comhttp://www.rnw.nl/english/article/life-ashes-story-indias-widowshttp://www.worldvision.org/news.nsf/news/advocacy-womens-advocate-200909-enews

Sources