Whither Indian Culture?

[Raji Ram]

Share:

Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp Email Share Link

perhaps we may have lived with perfect peace and harmony, in real utopia, as equals without women!

Utopia - agreed, because utopia is just an imaginary world.

BTW, how do you guys 'produce' the next generation? From tears?? :lol:

 

[prasad1]

Dehumanising Customs Indian Widows Have Faced Through the Years
The permanence of death may be daunting for the family that loses a loved one. But no matter how overwhelming it is for the family, it is far worse for a widow in India. We've come a long way since social ills and cultural tradition burdened society through its utter absurdity, and yet many parts of the country still uphold regressive customs when it comes to widowed women.
Here are just a few ways in which widows in this country are treated with utter cruelty, stripped off their rights and dignity.
Wearing a white saree

In Hinduism, white is considered the colour of mourning and is often the colour one wears to a funeral or memorial service. In India, it is believed that a widow needs to be in a constant state of mourning once her husband dies. She is compelled to adorn a white (or a colour close to white) saree for the rest of her life from the day of her husband's death.

Renouncement of identity and wealth

Another dehumanising practice is the psychological abuse widows go through even today. Once a woman's husband dies, she is immediately referred to as a mere object - 'it' instead of 'she' - and even basic human rights are taken away from her. To top it all, she is stripped off any inheritance from the husband's family and is even made to downsize her diet significantly, sometimes to just one meal a day, or turn vegetarian if she would eat meat when the husband was alive.


Untouchability

Even today, in India ostracise women after their husband's demise. The village of Vrindavan is just one example of a town rife with widows stripped of their wealth and dignity, and condemned to a life of beggary and abject poverty. Most are considered 'untouchables,' and it is still believed that even their sight or slightest touch can bring bad luck to a person on the receiving end.

Solitary confinement


In several Hindu and Muslim households across the country, widows are confined to their homes, and sometimes even their rooms, without any interaction with the outside world. While some are made to adopt this solitary life for a few months, many are made to go through the rest of their lives in isolation and society-inflicted shame. When around strangers, even an accidental sighting of their face is seen as ominous and thus widows are made to cover their face in a ghoonghat or purdah when they are in contact with outsiders.

Forbidden vanity

In many states across the country, when a married man dies, the woman is immediately made to discard marriage markers such as sindoor (vermillion on the forehead), mangalsutra (beaded necklace), bichia (toe ring), chooda (bangles), and so on. In many households, during the man's funeral, his widow is made to break her bangles to proverbially mark the end of a part of her life she cannot repair. The widow is then forbidden from indulging in vanity and enhancing her appearance with makeup, jewellery, or ornate apparel. In more extreme cases, women are made to shave their heads and not allowed to grow their hair for the rest of their lives.While things are changing and we are slowly leaving regressive customs behind, we still have a long way to go to protect the basic human rights of women who have lost their husbands, who have been through a heartbreaking tragedy, and are constantly subjected to shame for no fault of theirs.

http://www.vagabomb.com/8-Absurd-Customs-Indian-Widows-Have-Faced-Through-the-Years/



Sadly that too is Indian culture, is it not?

Thankfully Again in some metro cities, it is changing for the good.
So change in culture is good, at least in come cases.

 

[prasad1]

Utopia - agreed, because utopia is just an imaginary world.

BTW, how do you guys 'produce' the next generation? From tears?? :lol:

Even among the peacock hen is needed(?). Men may not be needed to propagate or procreate.

 

[Raji Ram]

I am thinking one step ahead, Prasad Sir!

Only males and tears needed!