While there have been rare instances of widows participating in Holi in the past, the first major celebration of widows was held in 2013 (Picture: Reuters/FILE)
Explained: Widowhood among caste Hindus brings a loss of social status for many women, who often settle in Vrindavan. Since 2013, Holi has become a way for them to get drenched in colors
Outcast by society, hundreds of Hindu widows settled in Vrindavan, where Lord Krishna is said to have spent his childhood, eagerly awaiting the festival of colours.
Widowhood among caste Hindus brings with it a loss of social status for many women. It is associated with social stigma, ranging from taboos governing the appearance of widows to exclusion against their property rights.
Many widows lose their jobs and are left in their hometowns because they are considered unlucky, while some are sent away by their spouses’ families so that they cannot inherit money or property.
They are also expected to dress in white and lead a modest life with ‘devotion to God’ as their primary goal. Thus, they often end up at holy sites like Vrindavan (also known as the City of Widows) and even Varanasi, where they make ‘donations to the state, NGOs, temples and ashrams’. But trust us, suggests a report. Indian Express,
Some come as true pilgrims to devote their final years to the service of Radha/Krishna, while many others come to escape abusive family homes or to be thrown away as unwanted belongings by their sons and daughters-in-law. are, one says BBC Report.
a change from 2013
according to a report by Indian ExpressWhile there were rare instances of widows participating in Holi in the past, the first major celebration of widows was held in 2013. Subsequently, in 2012, the Supreme Court took note of the widows’ suffering in response to a public interest litigation filed by the National Legal Services. Right. Organizations like Sulabh International, which takes care of over 1500 widows in Vrindavan, were at the forefront of change.
As Sulabh International writes on its website, widows started enjoying the festival of colors prominently in 2013, before which they were only allowed to play Holi with Thakurji (Lord Krishna). Since then, there has been no looking back as the number of widows, colors and flower petals have increased dramatically. That year, for the first time in the history of Diwali, the widows’ shelters were lit up. “Their spectacular escape from the dogmatic world was highlighted by amber reflections of light and pyrotechnics. All five widows’ ashrams of Vrindavan lit up with enthusiasm, ending decades of gloom and social lethargy,” wrote Sulabh International.
Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the NGO Sulabh International, said, “It was unbelievable to break the age-old tradition for widows in Indian society.” Outlook Last year.
Inclusion
Dressed in white but colorful sarees, widows in Vrindavan feel a sense of belonging by applying color to the feet of Lord Krishna’s idol, showering flower petals on each other, singing rasiya (the traditional Holi song of Brij). reciting Krishna hymns, a report said Zee,
These celebrations contradict the orthodox customs that prevent widows from participating in and celebrating the festival of colours.
“We have no words to express our happiness,” widows Vimala Dasi (65), Rataniya Devi (67) and Chhaya (66) told PTI together in 2022.
with inputs from agencies
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