Page 126 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Sociology of Kinship

Notes able conditions, the ‘Widow Remarriage Act’ was introduced in 1856 with the initiatives of
Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar.

Give a description of the widow remarriage prohibition.

According to Crook, until the end of the last century, 24% castes in Uttar Pradesh followed the
widow remarriage prohibition. Main says, amongst most of the South Indian castes and Gujjars,
Ahirs, Kurmis and Gadarias, widow remarriages are prevalent. According to S.N. Agarwal,
they are prevalent amount the law castes in rural Delhi (62%) and Western India (41%). In rural
Rohtak, out of 54 Brahmin widows, 3 got remarried, out of 12 Bania widows, 1 got remarried,
out of Kshatriya Arora widows, 1 got remarried and in rural Delhi, out of 19 Brahmin widows,
not even one got remarried. Widow remarried is prevalent in lower castes. Since it is not preva-
lent in upper castes, it has become a great problem.

At present, the number of widows in India is 8 million approximately. In
lower castes, wow remarriage is prevalent.

Odd circumstances against widow remarriage
Various socio-religious circumstances prohibited widow remarriage. The circumstances are as
follows:
1. The Ideology of ‘Kanya Daan’ or the ‘Donation of Daughter’: In India, Kanya Daan is con-
sidered as the supreme donation. Once a thing is donated, it cannot used for further dona-
tion. Thus, widows remarriage was considered unjustified.
2. The Concept of Purity: The Hindus consider sexual purity as the supreme form of purity.
Women are expected to follow the concept strictly. This is the reason why widow remar-
riages were not allowed.
3. Faith in Religious and Social Prohibitions: Widow remarriages were prohibited by the
society and religion. The Indian people, afraid of going against religion, followed it word to
word. This deprived the widows of the right the remarry.
4. The Concept of Blood Purity: The foreign invader mainly the Muslims married Hindu Wid-
ows, So, in order to keep their blood pure and for the safety of the religion, there was strict
prohibition of widows remarriage.
5. Destiny: People in India, generally believe in destiny. Some people perceive women as
ill-fated or unfortunate. They think, she being unfortunate will bring bad fortune in her’s
husband’s life, too. Even she herself cannot be happy. Thus, no one wants to marry her
because everyone thinks he will be the victim of her misfortune.
6. Marriage, a Bond Forever: Hindus consider marriage as a bond for the entire life, which
cannot be broken. The widow should end her life fast and make efforts to meet her hus-
band, who is waiting in heaven.
7. Un-education Amongst Women: Generally, women are backward and religion-fearing, be-
cause of lack of education. So, they think it is their duty to follow the religious sermons.
8. Dependence on Others: Due to lack of education and being financially dependent on men,
they are bound to follow the rules set by them.

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