The Unwanted Widows of India
Dear friends around the world,
We are very honoured to have been given this opportunity to write on His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche’s blog. We wanted to get this information out to create more awareness on basic human rights that are denied to ‘minorities’ within society, such as widows. We wanted to educate others that minorities are humans too and just like us, they are worthy of respect and kindness. In particular, we wanted to highlight the works of Dr Pathak who is doing a great job in assisting people in need. We hope that more people will recognise his works and contribute in any way possible to help him accomplish such a great mission.
According to some parts of the Hindu tradition, women are required to take part in the sati or suttee practice when their husband passes away. This tradition was commonly practised in ancient India and it was not until 1829 that British officials outlawed the practice within their territories. The following decades saw the introduction of similar laws by authorities in the princely states of India. In 1861, the general ban towards the sati practice for the whole of India was issued by Queen Victoria. The sati practice was banned in Nepal in the 1920s.
What is Sati?
Sati is the practice among some Hindu communities where recently widowed women – whether voluntarily, by use of force, or coercion – commit suicide after the death of their husbands. The most practised form of sati is when the woman burns herself to death on her husband’s funeral pyre. Other forms of sati include being buried alive with her husband’s corpse or drowning.
The term sati is derived from the name of the goddess Sati, also known as Dakshayani, who self-immolated because she was not able to stomach her father Daksha’s humiliation towards her (living) husband Shiva.
The practice of sati was found among many castes and at every social level. This included both women who were uneducated, as well as the highest-ranking and highly educated women of the time. Sati was considered the highest expression of wifely devotion to their deceased husband. The act of sati was also viewed as a way for widows to purge their sins, releasing them from the karmic circle of birth and death. It was seen as a way to salvation for the dead husband and seven generations of their offspring.
Another factor behind the sati practice was the ownership of wealth and property. Upon her husband’s death, all possessions of the widow would be transferred to his family, leaving the widow impoverished. In fact, the alternative way that widows were supposed to live after their husbands died was that of a chaste lady. This meant leading a life of asceticism, renouncing all social activities, shaving her head, eating only boiled rice and sleeping on coarse matting (recorded by Moore, 2004). It is because of this lifestyle that many widows chose death in the past.
In 1987, the Indian Government passed the Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act. As outlined in Part I, Section 2(c) sati is defined as,
The burning or burying alive of:
- Any widow along with the body of her deceased husband or any other relative or with any article, object or thing associated with the husband or such relative; or
- Any woman along with the body of any of her relatives, irrespective of whether such burning or burying is claimed to be voluntary on the part of the widow or the women or otherwise.
With the Prevention of Sati Act, any form of support, glorification or attempt to commit sati was made illegal. Supporting the practice of sati, which includes coercing or forcing someone to commit sati, can be punished by the death sentence or life imprisonment. For those who glorify sati, this is punishable with one to seven years in prison.
Why Do Widows Leave Their Families?
Shunned by society after their husbands die, widows are seen as a financial drain on their families. Hence many widows leave and end up living as the poorest of the poor not because of religious reasons, but because of tradition.
After their husbands’ deaths, widows are not allowed to remarry no matter their age and they are not allowed to wear jewelry. They are forced to shave their heads and to wear white clothes until their death. In some areas of India, widows are allowed to keep their hair and dress in coloured saris but this is more an exception than the rule; in most communities in India, widows are not allowed to do this. Thus after the passing of their husbands, the widows no longer have the life they wished for.
Due to the constant struggle these women face, many run away to the holy city of Vrindavan, a popular Hindu pilgrimage place. Also known as the ‘City of Widows’, the widows go to Vrindavan in the hopes that death will free them from all the emotional and physical suffering they face.
Without education or any skills that would make them employable, the widows beg for alms, or singing religious hymns and chants. Through this method, the widows can earn around USD0.15 (approx. INR10) and a hot meal. Some of the younger and more attractive women are sold into prostitution. In this City of Widows with more than 4,000 temples, no one goes hungry. Locals and pilgrims offer food and money to the widows to gain merits for their spiritual paths. They do however, have to ration the food they receive and though a lucky few have very rundown rented accommodation, most are forced to seek shelter wherever they can. Space in shelters and government-run care homes is limited, so most women are forced to sleep in the streets.
Due to the incorrect projections people have about widows, these women suffer neglect and are looked down upon for the rest of their lives. Moved by the plight of these widows, organisations have formed with the aim to uplift and improve the lives of these women. These human rights organisations play a very important role in changing the lives of widows by giving them hope to live on.
The Importance of Human Rights Organisations
Human rights organisations play an extremely important role in society, especially for the forgotten, abandoned and disenfranchised sectors and communities. Because of their inability to speak out about the ongoing denial of their basic human rights, it is easy for society to forget about them and to somehow assume that these ‘minorities’ are worthless. It is in these situations that human rights organisations are needed to protect and assist the powerless to get back on their own two feet. One such organisation working for the welfare of India’s widows is the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.
Sulabh International Social Service Organisation
This is a non-profit voluntary social organisation founded in 1970 by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak. It was founded on the Gandhian ideals of the emancipation of scavengers (a class of people traditionally considered in Indian society to be unclean and were used to carry human waste). This organisation has been working very hard to eliminate the social prejudice against human scavenger class.
Dr Bindeshwar Pathak
Name: Br. Bindeshwar Pathak
Date of Birth: April 2, 1943
Place of Birth: Rampur Baghel, District Vaishali, Bihar, India
Education:
- M.A in Sociology
- M.A in English
- Ph.D. on “Liberation of Scavengers through Low Cost Sanitation”, from Patna University
- Patna, Bihar. R.Litt on “Eradication of Scavenging and Environmental Sanitation in India- a Sociology Study”, from Patna University, Patna, Bihar.
Dr Pathak is an influential humanist and social reformer of contemporary India. His compassion has driven him to stand up for the neglected minority. A social reformer who has benefited millions of lives, Dr Pathak is an internationally-renowned expert on sanitation. He developed low-cost toilet technology, a two-pit pour flush toilet popularly known as the Sulabh Shauchalaya System. His contributions are widely known in the areas of poverty alleviation and integrated rehabilitation programme for the much needed people in India.
Widows of Varanasi
Sulabh International has adopted hundreds of widows in Varanasi. In Varanasi, widows live scattered in private residences as well as in different Ashrams. In order to survive, many of them have to beg on the streets to support themselves. As such, Dr Pathak vowed to go out his way to help these neglected women.
Following the deaths of their husbands, widows face humiliation and degradation from their families and society which often treats widowhood as something inauspicious. Seeing the sufferings of these widows, DrPathak said that his primary concern is to change the mindset, attitude and behaviour of the people towards widows.
“In our country, there are millions of such unfortunate women who lose their husbands untimely, and become widows. Most of them are old, infirm, disabled and have no source of livelihood. Their position becomes miserable if they have dependent children. When a widow does not have any permanent source of income or livelihood, she is driven out of her in-law’s home or even from her parental home. Many such widows can be seen begging in the streets and public places. They are termed as witches and tortured even by their own kith and kin and others. They are treated as bad and unholy women by the society”.
“Ours is a welfare State. It is the foremost duty of the State to initiate welfare measures, protect them and provide maintenance to them so that they can live with dignity and honour”.
Source: http://www.sulabhinternational.org/after-vrindavan-sulabh-adopts-widows-of-varanasi-april-28-2013/
How to Donate
To find out more on how to make donations, please submit your inquiries to sulabhinfo@gmail.com.
Contact Information
Email:
- sulabhinfo@gmail.com
- sulabh1@nde.vsnl.net.in
- sulabh2@nde.vsnl.net.in
- sulabhinfo1@gmail.com
Websites:
- http://www.sulabhinternational.org
- http://www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org
Address in Delhi:
Founder, Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement Sulabh Bhawan, Mahavir Enclave Palam Dabri Road, New Delhi 110045.
Phone:
+91-11-25031518 & 25031519, 25057748
Sources of Information:
- http://www.sulabhinternational.org/contact/
- http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2013/09/201391773152163100
.html - http://www.sulabhinternational.org
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The practice of sati was at its peak between the 15th and 18th centuries. Widows were forced burning alive or commit suicide after the death of their husband . Sati was a historical Hindu practice then, was banned as the practice of Sati is against human rights and revolting the feelings of human nature. Since then widows needs to be in a constant state of mourning once her husband dies, wearing in white .
Many communities in India still shun widows and they are abandoned by their families due to superstition. It’s sad to know that those widows been treated in such a way.
Thanks to one great humanist and social reformer of contemporary India….. Dr. Pathak who has worked to change social attitudes towards the widows . Dr. Pathak is known around the world for his wide ranging work in the sanitation field to improve public health, advance social progress, and improve human rights in India and other countries. He is also the founder of Sulabh International, an India-based social service organisation which works to promote human rights. He goes out his way to help these neglected women, trying to change the mindset, attitude and behaviour of the people towards those widows.
Inspiring his accomplishments span the fields of sanitation technology, healthcare education for millions of people in the rural areas and slums in India.A prolific writer and speaker as well, Dr. Pathak has authored several books to date.
Thank you Rinpoche ,Vinnie and Beatrice for this sharing.
In many cultures, women are considered lower than men. They don’t have as much opportunity as the men. For example, in poor countries or in the older times, women do not get the chance to go to school to receive the education. They have to stay at home to help with the chores. When they have reached their puberty, their parents would marry her with a man they pick so they don’t have to spend money to support the daughter anymore. When a woman is married into a family, she is expected to take care of the household, the in-laws, the husband and give birth to children.
In India, there was this tradition when the husband dies, the widow had to kill herself either by burning herself to death or she would be buried together with the husband, this was practiced until 1861. Today, the widow in India is still looked down by the society, they are not allowed to remarry, to wear jewelry and they are forced to shave their heads and to wear white clothes until their death. Most of them will run away from their home, end up poor, alone and unwanted because the society does not accept them. This is how widows are being discriminated in the Indian society.
Luckily Dr. Pathak, a very kind soul in India has set up a Non-profit organisation to help the widows. He has seen how much sufferings these widows are going through and he wants to make a change. Apart from helping the widows directly by giving them the shelters, Dr. Pathak said it is more important to change how to society perceive and treat the widows. This culture value definitely has to change, women are just the same as the men, why should women endure such treatments and take the shame when their husbands die?
It is shocking that there were such cruel tradition existed. I sincerely hope that Sati is no longer practise and even think that this tradition is necessary. I don’t understand a human and more so family members in this case would abandon a widow and even agree for the widow to kill themselves. Don’t they feel pity and have feelings for the poor widow who lost her husband. Such a huge discrimination against female. The wrong perception of people has created so much sufferings on the widows. Thankfully, there are people like Dr Pathak who stands up to help the poor ladies. Hopefully more will stand up to highlight and create awareness about such negative tradition and welfare organisations to help the ladies.
Thank you Vinnie and Beatrice for the sharing on The Unwanted Widows of India.This is the first time ,a lot of us get to know the origin on the practice of Sati.We need to create more awareness on this discrimination so that widows in India do not have to suffer like this. Just because it is a tradition that was accepted in society, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be changed. Creating sufferings onto others is wrong on all levels and must be stopped. Life is precious and should not be wasted just like that just because their husbands died.
A shocking news to me. How come they are being discriminated in such a way where death is probably the only solution for them? Uneducated and not being exposed to the outer world are partly responsible for this. Imagine the untimely death of their husband? We will not be able to understand their feelings well at that time. I believe they will be praying for their husband’s health most of the time. Furthermore, if they are poverty-stricken, abused, facing environmental issues and etc, it will definitely affect their minds greatly. The most we can do is to social media this, but we will not be able to totally rid off the worries and problems that they are having. *in deep thought.
Thank you Rinpoche, Vinnie and Beatrix.
This is truly a revelation for me, reading this article. No one should be subject to such a thing, when they just lost their husbands.
One of the reasons why I love the blog so much is that it is a blog that is trying to raise awareness of social inequality and even bring about social change. Social change for any benefit for the blog or the contributors, but for the betterment of society at large.
Thank you Beatrice and Vinnie for the sharing on The Unwanted Widows of India.This is the first time ,a lot of us get to know the origin on the practice of Sati.
Some deemed it as a spiritual practice for selfish reason.The main culprit ,which started all these was “GREED and IGNORANCE”.We are glad that these practice is outlawed .But we sympathize for those who are still caught up by the web of false tradition and ignorance as female gender in India are not well educated.
We certainly hope the Government of India would focus on educating their population to bring them out of poverty.Both physically and spiritually.One without the other would only lead to ignorance .
Thank you Beatrice and Vinnie for the article. I am glad such “cultural practice” is no longer encouraged and there are laws protecting the vulnerable widows in modern times like this. Life is precious and should not be wasted just like that just because their husbands died. It makes me wonder if similar punishing ordeal will happen to the widowers. I assume it won’t happen to widowers because there is a discrimination for ladies and laws those days tend to favours men. Nevertheless this article is worth a read and learn from. Thank you
Thank you Vinnie and Beatrix for the informative article. I really didn’t know that there still got people who practice Sati. This is a very inhuman practice. Everyone deserved their rights to live. Those who force the widows to commit sati will have very bad karma. Even the widows who commit sati involuntary will also have bad ending as they will end up in the hungry ghost realm. Many thanks to Dr Pathak for saving the lives of the widows. May more be saved and may the widows will get back on their feet to become a better and positive person.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Thank you Vinnie and Beatrix for this write up. Is frustrating how can such a discrimination can happen during the era now no doubt there is law that again this Sati tradition but the general society will not so easy change their mind set so the organisation like Sulabh International need to create more awareness among the India people because education is important to understand all these widows suffering and pain without education people will follow blindly what is normally practice by general public .
The practice of ‘sati’ in India among the Hindu communities is very cruel and inhumane. The discrimination against the widows is so unfair they are not witches or inauspicious as the people claimed in their tradition. Hopefully with the help of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak non-profit voluntary social organisation known as Sulabh International social service organisation can help eradicate the sufferings of the widows in India through education. Thank you Vinnie and Beatrix for highlighting the plight of these poor widows, may this horrible tradition soon be abolished completely.
It is very heartbreaking to learn of this tradition of discriminating widows. I’m so glad that there is an act abolishing this tradition. Access to food is a basic human right and regardless of gender, this should not be compromised.
We need to create more awareness on this discrimination so that widows in India do not have to suffer like this. Just because it is a tradition that was accepted in society, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be changed. Creating sufferings onto others is wrong on all levels and must be stopped.
There are many traditions around the world that are different, cruel and is sometimes like this one, aimed at putting a gender down.
Though the intended purpose behind this tradition may have been a better one, the manulupation and lack of awarness and education towards this has lead people to get the wrong idea and shun widows instead. It has also lead people to take advantage of widows and their rightful wealth.
Human rights organisations such as the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation are indeed very important to speak out as one voice for people who share the same problem. The Sulabh International Social Service Organisation is doing a great job at spreading awarness to change people’s prespictives on the poor.
Thank you Beatrix and Vinnie for writing this article.
It’s so sad to know this discrimination against the widows in India in this era. It’s unbelievably ridiculous that they were treated unfairly not because of their deeds, but purely because of their husbands’ death, which is totally beyond their control. These widows have to face all kinds of humiliation from their family as well as from the society. The inhumane treatment like forcing them to shave their heads, not allow to remarry, kicked out from home, restrain them from living a normal lifestyle, is definitely a contempt to them & totally unacceptable.
The untrue belief about them the inauspicious ladies is deeply ingrained in India culture and this probably needs ages to re-educate the society to uproot this belief. We are glad that the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation has started programs to support the widows, to create awareness in the society to change people’s mindset & beliefs. Hopefully there will be more donations & contribution from different parts of the world to help the organization to reach out to more widows & to create the right perception for this minority group. Widows deserve the right to live with dignity and honor like any other human beings on earth.
In the 21st Century where human have made exploration into Mars and Jupiter, its sad that some old uncivilised culture like Sati still existed in the old society of India. This part of society is still very closed minded, unexposed, not educated and sadly without any dharma knowledge. I just can’t imagine the mother is required to choose burning herself alive or to leave the family stay alone in the poverty. How could her children have the heart to see the suffering of their own mother? I’m so glad this practice is now ban by India law. Someone like Dr Bindeshwar Pathak is really a Hero to India and humanity. He is like a walking bodhisattva who works hard tirelessly in lifting the sufferings of all sentient being. I hope all the discrimination against female, widows, caste, ethnic, skin colours, religious etc will be ended soon, may all of us lives in peace and harmony and have all the right conditions for us to grow and practice the dharma.
We have so many discrimination towards minority and the tradition of sati is another example. Even in 80s, there are still cases of widow tried to burn herself alive in India after the ban on Sati tradition took place. The status of women have to improve and welfare of widows after the death of their husbands have to have guaranteed, only inhuman tradition of such can be eradicated from the particular societies in India and Nepal.
To leave to poverty, to live without dignity and to be viewed as bad luck and unholy beings until you die – with all these cruel, uncivilised and inhuman treatment, a widow would rather burn herself…therefore to say those widows burning themselves or committed suicide volunteerly is totally twisted the truth and fact of what happen. Who would willingly end their life in this tragic ways by burning themselves alive or being buried alive, just because they lost their partner? The stigma of Hindu society about widow especially and woman in general needs to change, only then the future of current living widows/woman can be changed.
It’s glad there are people like Dr Bindeshwar Pathak and many others who put in their effort to help the widows and trying to educate the society, to create the awareness and change the situation. Hope many who see this article can spread the knowledge about the cruel and inhuman facts about the Sati tradition and create awareness to many more in order to eradicate it completely.
Gender discrimination has been around for centuries and the worst is always seen in a the cultures of the old, where male superiority seems to dominate. The male chauvinistic attitude is more prevalent in these ancient Asian cultures and is practised and expected in their society more than the western ones. I never ever understood this and could never accept it coming from a very liberal upbringing. So when I first heard of such traditions, I thought how ridiculous and to be born in such cultures.
I am so glad to see that there is someone who cares enough – Dr. Pathak and it is amazing what a hero he is to all these widowers. He truly is a kind selfless soul, maybe he is a Bodhisattva helping these women! It is really heart warming to know that these ladies are not left to die in such miseries, though I am sure there are some who did.
This story also reminded me of how Lord Buddha got rid of the caste system in India as well. And in the beginning it was also furiously rejected, until I guess when Kind Ashoka became Buddhist and change the rulings. https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/emperor-ashoka-the-great.html
Thank you Vinnie & Bea for highlighting these woman’s plight and condition of a society with still very narrow ways which I hope we can all help in spreading this injustice through education and more exposure of such horrible gender discrimination.
While reading this article, it reminded me that the olden days in China, when the king emperor died, all their wives are to be buried alive to accompany their husband, so that the king will not be lonely when they go to ‘another place’.
It is very sad that woman are treated like that, since olden days, and now still happened in some conservative families, woman are not treated well, because they cannot carry on their family name, when their daughter get married, she became someone else’s wife and their kids will follow that someone’s name, so when they know their wife gave birth to a daughter, they will be extremely disappointed.
In this case, thanks to the compassionate group of people who set up Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, with the existence of this group,at least the woman’s welfare are more secured. Man and woman should be treated the same, cause we are all the same, we are all human.
I have heard about this practice long time ago. I am glad and relieved it was banned by law now. Very sad to see people acted out of ignorance by the name of God to harm and even to kill for logical reasons. Simply because women are weak and easier to be bullied and blamed. It was an easy way to cut off their responsibility to take care of the widows. Again, the root was the ignorance of human without Dharma.
Those who were lucky, adopbted and being take care by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation found by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak. I hope to see more activist for this course will arise to improve the lives of widows in India. I think to help not only the widows but women to gain a better lives by learning some living skills to survive is important.
Thanks Rinpoche, Vinnie, Beatrix and the blog team for sharing this article. It’s the first time I heard about the practice of Sati, it’s inhumane and illogic. How come a living being lose her value to live when her husband pass away? The passing away of the husbands is not something in control by anyone, why do the widows need to suffer from the impermanent phenomena?
Dr Pathak is like a Gandhi to the unwanted widows who speak up and educate people on the wrong view. May the gender discrimination in all over the world be reduced and people respect other person as a same human being.
Thank you.
This widows article in India has alert many cases of women are still abuse as victim ,treated unfair manner causing many women suffering in this modern world. Different religion believe and tradition also causing many women get abuse .
I am glad to know about Dr, Pathak has setup Sulabh International organisation at Vanarasi to protect millions of unfortunate women who lose their husbands untimely, and become widows. Most of them are old, infirm, disabled and have no source of livelihood. With the organisation help, those widows able to received support again , not treated badly neglected them from the society. I ready hope more organisation can setup at future to protect human right especially to protect women free from the abuse cases.
Very sad that at that time the society just accepts the idea of sati . Sati is demeaning to a woman because it implies that the woman’s life has meaning only when associated with a man. And most properly the practice is to benefit the minority greedy and selfish peoples who wanted to hoard property that the property will back to the families and not the widows.
That is why religious such like Buddhism play an important role to the society. For Buddhism, committed suicide is considered killing and very bad Karma. If peoples have been educated with Buddhism, “sati” will not happen.
First of all i would like to Thanks to the writers for this article, i was shock after reading this, these Hindu widows, the poorest of the poor, are shunned from society when their husbands die, not for religious reasons, but because of tradition.
My point : In the year of 2016, why men and women can’t equal? Everyone should be treated fairly in the world. We are all human.
Suicide in the name of honour may be deemed a waste of a precious human life to most people. But to those widows in India, more in the past, it was seemed as the only way out of the misery of being abused, heckled, disowned, kicked out from their family home, treated as pariahs and as an extra mouth to be fed (worse if they have young children). Most women at that time were less educated and easily coerced to end their lives. It is sad to see human lives gone to waste. However, with education and modernisation, this traditional practice is dying off, paving the way for human rights for women in India.
Suffering is endless for those living in samsara. It is very, very sad to hear about these widows – helpless and labelled outcasts solely on the untimely death of their husbands. It is most frightening to have our future carved in stone because of what happens to another person…what more a husband over whom these women have little control over (i.e. the masculine oriented culture of India).
I rejoice that these outcasted women found refuge in spiritual communities that are conscious and “inconvenience” themselves to protect the helpless and uphold the values that make us innately humane.
One thing I notice quite clearly is that the solace, haven, sanctuary and refuge for all people who suffer greatly is spirituality, be it Buddhism or other holy faiths. On this basis, I request all modern people of this day and age to reflect and observe before losing confidence in the purity of faith and spirit. As Buddha always said, compassion must be practiced with wisdom. I understand that to be “sustainable kindness”.
Thank you Beatrix and Vinnie for this eye opening article.
Purely selfishness and ego within human are the causes for every type sufferings we are experiencing.
We should help each other out from our sufferings. For instance, those widows in India, little people care about what they are facing around them, hence, people outside their country should stand up for them and pull them up, or else their sufferings will go round and round and never end.
Historically many cultures are patriarchy based and unfortunately still very much so today perhaps just more subtle. Women were viewed as subjects of men and has no individual values. It is ironic that men would supposedly love their wives and daughters on one hand and on the other hand are the cause of the patriarchy system that devalued, discriminated, abused and humiliated the female gender.
One could say it the karma of the female gender or it’s one’s karma to be born female. Then again karma doesn’t mean predestined fate.
Time has changed many things in this world but unfortunately it doesn’t always include people. It is shocking to find that in some parts of the world, society are still struggling with these types of serious gender issues.
It is very sad to see how families treat the wife of a husband who passed away. I cannot imagine the pain they have to go through, not only they lose their husband but on top their life or sold for prostritution… if they are “lucky”, they loose their home and all status. It is heartwrenching to see what happens to them after a life spend for the family and children.
It is a relief to see that Dr Pathak is taking care of them but how many widows are there in a country like India. It is like a drop on a hot stone.
Thank you Vinnie for creating awareness!
I personally find it quite cruel that the widows have to endure the act after their husband’s passing. Although it is part of their culture but I believe that are other ways they can be treated. And the other part that I find cruel is that even if they choose to live, they still have to suffer other conditions. What I can’t tolerate is that some are even forced into prostitution.
In modern times like this, nobody should endure such cruelty no matter what the culture is. We need to move forward with time and be equal to all human beings.
I am happy that the government and human rights groups are helping these women. All government should look after the welfare of their people’s welfare and not let any of them be subject to human cruelty.
It’s really painful to see this type situation happened to the widows. They have lost their beloved husband and being treated in such a way. No one should discriminated and as a human being we should help each other especially those who needed help.
At this modern world everyone have their right to live and do what they thing is right as long as they don’t hurt anyone. At this era we are responsible for our action and no one should control us for our life. These widows had done nothing wrong but just loosing their husband and they have their right to continue their life just like normal human beings.
We are glad that to have Dr Bindeshwar to give a big hand helping them and we need to nurture more people to understand what is human rights especially the younger generation to understand the old tradition that discriminate human rights is wrong. Compassion should be the main teaching and practice for all human kind in the world to create a better place to live.
It is sad that in some primitive societies, women’s sole reason for existence is a lifetime of servitude to their husbands. Their husbands define them. After the husband has died, these women are reduced to nothing, no social standing, redundant. It’s easy to understand why they feel they are better off dead without their husbands. It is no wonder that female infanticide is still rampant in some parts of India as girls are often seen as liabilities and not fit to live.
With Dr. Pathak’s compassionate work, hopefully people can become free from the shackles of these old, so deeply ingrained traditions that discriminate, marginalize and victimise women. Then more lives can be saved and widows’ rights can be restored. Those very people who mistreat or abuse women seem to be blind to the fact that they would not even exist if it had not been for their mothers who gave birth to them.
Thank you Vinnie and Beatrix for sharing this information with us in such a well-written blog post. Its good that news such as this is spread around the internet for people to see as more money can be donated to help and people are aware that such actions are wrong.
As I read the article, the thing that shocked me the most was the ritual of Sati. I never knew about this ritual until this post. It is terrifying how widows would take their own lives just because their husbands have passed away. That doesn’t make sense to me. I am sure that there must have been a spiritual or racial reason behind it, but from my modern day perspective I strongly believe this is wrong, and sexist.
Dr Pathak is to be specially commended for his compassion, for only a person with great compassion can actually see the depths of misery of the disenfranchised widows, their humiliation and their degradation by society and their own people. To see and to be moved by them to do something to alleviate their suffering.
Prejudice against the female gender is bad enough in many parts of the world. But nowhere is it as bad as in India where the most hapless victims of social and cultural prejudice are widows. Tradition and culture have placed a very strong stigma on Indian widows. Although Sati has been outlawed/banned , yet widows are still ostracised by their families and the community. They are left impoverished and almost all end up begging for food. Being helpless, as most are unskilled and uneducated and have not found the voice to speak up, they are among the most neglected minority groups.
Fortunately for this most abused minority group, human rights organisations like the Sulabh International Social Service Organization founded by a highly influential humanist and social reformer Dr Pathak, are now working very hard for these poor unwanted widows. They have adopted hundreds of these widows in Varanasi, for instance.
Seeing that these widows are the victims of gross social prejudice(society views them as unclean and they are shunned and treated like social lepers), Dr Pathak’s primary concern is to change the mindset, attitude and behaviour of the people towards widows.
It is hoped that Dr Pathak will make a significant headway in this direction.
Thank you Vinnie and Beatrix for this revealing article, it is pretty sad to know that inequality still exists in India. I know that caste system is a well-accepted phenomenon but to cast aside women and put them away when they are no more of use is pretty hard for anyone to accept.
Women, men, animals are all God’s creation but why segregate and dehumanize women and categorize them as ‘has been’ deprived them of basic human rights is something the Indian government has to urgently addressed soon. Perhaps it requires intervention by more developed nation through education and dialogue on such degrading acts of human.
It would be a very long haul before we can see some little changes for it is not easy at all to change a system that has been happening for so long, perhaps by educating their young ones now and hopefully it can snowballed into a reality in the not too distant future. I hope that if substantial efforts are being enforced and regulations are introduced to make the Indians see that we are all equal in the eyes of God perhaps one day it can turn into an accepted reality.
Sad…very sad..feel sorry for those widows in India.How can they did these to those widow who are not at fort loosing their husband.Even though it was a tradition practice which they called it Sati or sattee in ancient India.However it was ban during the British rule yet they did continue practicing it.Those unfortunate widows are treated as bad and unholy women by the society. And there’s one kind, caring man Dr Pathak and other human organization are trying to change the mindset ,attitude and behavior of the people towards widow Seeing the sufferings of these widows, Dr Pathak try to create and to bring the awareness on basic human rights and .improve the lives of these women.
Thank you Vinnie and Beatrix for this article.
In the mind of many people, India, among a few other counties, is notorious for gender bias discrimination. In fact, from the many reports in recent years of gang rape cases and child marriages, I personally believe that India, and a few other countries, enshrine sexism on top of genderism. Therefore, the tradition of sati nuanced as disturbing but not surprising. Even though Queen Victoria had declared illegal to practice sati, it had not stopped for the last 2 centuries. It is hard to stomach that before 1987 (most of us were already born then) that many widows had to burn themselves alive to accompany the death of their maybe not so beloved husband. And should they chose not to die, they were given a life of harsh asceticism, which is actually stripping them off their identity and degrade them as public property. It should be the shame of mankind to have such practice. Thank you Vinnie and Beatrix for this article.
These are truly horrible and terrible things that happened in the World, in the name of human tradition and cultural belief, both to humans as well as animals. The happening of the practice of “sati or suttee” in many parts of ancient India, many in the outside World today may not have any knowledge or have even heard of such happening! “Sati or suttee” is described as a practice commonly happened amongst Hindu community, where recent widowed women, by forced or coercion commit sucide after death of husband by burning oneself at the husband’s funeral pyre, or buried alive or by drowning! Such was needed to be practised as a wifely-devotion act, seen as a way to savage the dead husband, and seven generations of their off-spring. It was said that the practice of “sati” was found amongst many castes and every social levels, including the highly educated and uneducated women of modern times. A great many heartfelt thanks to the various organisations and individuals, especially to Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, for their great efforts to help out! Dr. Pathak’s primary concern is to change the mindset, attitude and behaviour of the people towards the widows. Dr. Pathak is a highly influential humanist and social reformer of contemporary India.
Ultimately, humanity is one and this small planet is our only home. It is believed that at every level of society – familial, tribal, national and international – the key to a happier and more successful World is the growth of Compassion. We don’t need to be an ideologist, all that is necessary is for us to develop our Good Human Qualities to maintain it! Om Mani Padme Hung.
I find this article heart wrenching and sad to see that these women live the life of a pariah just because their husbands had passed on. It’s horrible but not unusual that a human being would be treated in this manner. We have come such a long way in our attitude towards women in many countries but there are many more countries that continue to uphold such conveniently prejudiced and archaic views against women.
It’s not surprising that these women are largely from rural areas where traditional values are still retained. I think poverty has a hand to play in the attitude towards women as for many other social issues. The women is usually the easiest scapegoat and victim. In many cases, education is the way out of poverty and the education of women could do a lot to uplift these women towards sustaining their livelihood.
I think these women would struck a chord in you especially if you are a woman. Even when I am not a woman but I can feel for these poor women and luckily there are these organizations that help these women self-sustain and get back on their feet. It’s good that more people know about them and what they go through. I think t’s through exposure and education that will bring down such harmful social practices and prejudice.
Thank you, Vinnie for another informative article. The practice of sati has not been heard for a long time but nonetheless still haunting. It is sad that India, a land of the greatest religions and spirituality still has some very archaic attitudes towards women.
Thanks to the various organizations and individuals who make the effort to try and educate the general public about human rights, though it is so very new a concept to them.
It is sad to read of the widows of Varanasi but at the same time heart-warming to read also of the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation and Dr Bindeshwar Pathak advocating human rights.
We do have to think of the love and care these women have given their families. It is only right that they be taken care of by their children in gratitude for the sacrifices of their mother though the father is no longer, especially when the father is gone.
The families should learn to practice generosity to their very own kin, these widows who have lost thir husbands and not see them as a drain on their resources. These widows in their time had done so much for their families and can still contribute to the families in many ways even when their husbands are no longer around. A woman should not be defined by her husband. It’s so great that the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation and Dr Bindeshwar pathak are doing something to educate about human rights.
Dear Fong
Thank you for your comment on this article. This is an interesting article indeed. I was shock myself at how women’s life and value is defined by the fragile existence of her husband and that is the reason when their husband passed away, they are being asked to die with their husband or became an outcast. This is the violation of the most basic human rights.
Fortunately, we have people like Dr. Bideshwar Patak who is passionate about helping these widows. But I think we should not only praising and admiring Dr. Patak, we should help him in bringing awareness about this dire issue.
I sincerely hope that this custom will be changed very soon.
Valentina