Widows in India:
My children threw me
out of the house
Many communities in India still shun widows and they are abandoned by their families due to superstition.
Vrindavan, India - Self-immolation, sati, on a husband's pyre may have been banned in India, but life for many widows in India is still disheartening as they are shunned by their communities and abandoned by their families.
"I used to wash dishes and clothes in people's house to earn money, but the moment they heard that I am a widow, I was thrown out without any notice," said 85-year-oldManu Ghosh, living in Vrindavan, a city in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Vrindavan is home to more than 20,000 widows, and over the years, many shelters for widows run by the government, private enterprises and NGOs have mushroomed in the city. The city, which is considered holy by Hindus, has become known as the 'City of Widows'.
"I had to sleep on the street as even my family abandoned me after my husband's death. I was married off to him when I was 11 years old and he was 40.
"My daughter died of malnutrition as I could not give her food since nobody wanted to help a widow.
"After her death, I decided to come to Vrindavan. A woman should die before her husband's death so that she doesn't have to live through hell like this," Gosh says.
The women often live in acute poverty and are ostracised by society due to various superstitions - even the shadow of a widow can wreak havoc and bring bad luck, people believe. Lack of education and any source of income forces them to beg on streets and many turn to prostitution for survival.
"My children threw me out of the house after my husband died," says Manuka Dasi. "I try to earn money by singing devotional songs in temple and manage to get one meal for the day. I am just waiting to die so that I can be out of this life of misery."
Follow Showkat Shafi on Twitter: @ShowkatShafi
Thousands of widows, most of them disowned and abandoned by
their families, live in deplorable living conditions in the cities of Vrindavan
and Mathura. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
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'I was barely nine years old when I was forced to marry a
40-year-old man,' said Pingela Maiti, 85. 'He died within a few years, and I
returned to my maternal home as a child widow. They made me shave my head, and
I was forced to beg for food. I ran away from that life and moved to Mathura to
be with the widows. I found others like me here and a purpose in life.' Mathura
is another holy city in Uttar Pradesh where widows have found refuge. [Showkat
Shafi/Al Jazeera]
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Maya Rani, 80, says: 'I have no one in this world. I am all
alone. Being a widow is the biggest curse for a woman. Throughout my life, I
have longed for respect and some dignity.' [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
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Forced to leave their homes, these widows find solace in each
other's company. They share rooms in the shelter and try to live like a family.
The shelters are cramped with dingy rooms and become these women's homes for
life. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
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Rada Dasi, 82, said, 'It's a lifelong sentence of humiliation
and struggle. I have been in this temple for more than 60 years, and now I
don't remember anything about my home-town. I wait for death every day so that
I get some relief.' [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
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'My husband died. I had one son and three daughters. I left them
with my parents as I didn't want them to suffer because of me,' 90-year-old
Lolita Debnath remembered. 'Everybody taunts widows. In all these years, my son
came just once to see if I was alive.' [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
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| 'My children abandoned me after the death of my husband,'
67-year-old Subudra Dasi said. 'I walked, hitched rides from truck drivers,
slept on roads, and finally reached Vrindavan. These widows are my family, and
here I lead a life of dignity.' [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Response:
This is article does not use conventional techniques to convey its point.
Instead, the majority this article utilizes photo journalism to voice the
unheard stories of these widows. Although, the first part of the article acts
like a lead to introduce violation of human rights widows in India have
been undergoing for a long time. It is necessary to bring such an issue to
the global light because it is a crime against mankind when human rights
are not being protected. However, this particular case in India is very
complicated because culture and traditions are carefully intertwined with the
abuse of the widows. With that being said, globalization is an essential tool
in improving aspects of cultures that are harmful to member's of a society.
Now turning the focus to the article, the journalist first makes the assumption
that the audience has prior knowledge of Indian culture. In the first sentence,
sati or self-immolation is used casually. Personally, I had to conduct research
to discover the meaning of this ancient Indian practice. Other similar references
are made within the article, such as mentioning the holy city, Vrindavan with
little background information. As I read this article, I detected little to no bias
because the journalist first explained the cultural importance there is to shunning
widows from society. He continues to show vividly through the picture-quote
combination the horrors and devastation this brings to widows. Some of the
widows would probably turn to the practice of sati due to their current
inhumane living conditions. Since this article does not provide a practical
solution on how to stop this issue, its main goal seems to be to spread
awareness and ensure these widows voices are heard. The underlying tone
this article portrays is that not everything in culture is right, and the aspects
that are causing more harm than good should be stopped. Finally, it also
encourages the work of NGOs and private enterprises that are providing aid
to isolated widows.
Source:
Shafi, Showkat. "Widows in India: My Children Threw Me out of the House."Aljazeera.
2016 Al Jazeera Media Network, 6 Mar. 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
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This is a really interesting article. This is as aspect of life that is not normally in the media. I think the author of this piece did a great job. Great response! I would have to say that there is a slight bias in favor of the widows, but this bias is in place in order to strengthen the awareness motive presented. I find it interesting that the author did not mention any ways to improve this situation. Even if the purpose of the article is to bring awareness, I think there should have been some reference to some ways in which people who are aware could help. Great article and response!
ReplyDeleteThought-provoking article! Your response clearly portrayed the mentioned and unmentioned aspects that the article gives. I would agree with you that the author shows little to no bias though at first it is confusing for the reader who is unaware of Indian culture. I definitely think that there should be more awareness for this ongoing issue, and its quite a pity that the UN or other governing bodies haven't come up with resolutions for these problems but on the other hand one can see how culture barriers might disrupt and cause confusion to the rest of the Indian population. But overall great article and great response!
ReplyDeleteThis article conveys the plight of Indian women in a succinct and relatively comprehensive manner. It does however seem to leave one with the impression that nothing is being done to alleviate the toil of these women's lives, which I am sure isn't the case. In fact, there are numerous institutions who's sole purposes are to assist women who are living in these conditions. The article does an adequate job of shedding light on the issue, but it does not supply an avenue through which aid can be given directly. This isn't necessarily a problem, it is simply an observation. And that is probably what the article was intended for-to raise awareness, so it did a good job.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article and great response :) The author does seem slightly biased toward the widows but I would agree with Amy that it's part of raising the awareness. I would think the issue could be not respecting and helping the widows, but would also say the root issue could be child marriage. The culture of girls marrying older men seems to be a traditional practice, but I think this results in more women becoming widows after the death of their elderly husband. Again Great Job :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a fascinating article Soni, and the pictures telling us the story of the widows that can't speak for themselves are remarkable. I seems to me that this article was intended for other creative journalist maybe, because of the content. It, like you stated, does not give us any background information on what the Indian culture is like. Also we have no sources that tell us a definite reason why the widows are thrown out of there homes. This doesn't seem to solve the issue; in fact it creates a bigger one. In my opinion, (or maybe this is because of the influence of the bias toward these women) the best women in the society are being ostracized. They are strong, loving individuals who chose to stay in their homes after the husband died even know they knew they were going to be thrown out, as is the culture.
ReplyDeleteThis is an intriguing article, not only because news about this is sparse, but because you would think that media today would give it more airtime. The voice of the widows is drowned out by the mass criticism against them in India's vast culture. It would be interesting to know how this method of dealing with widows even started and if it has anything to do with the former caste system in India. However even with a few reporters going to see these widows and describing to us their stories, it will not be sufficient enough to compel others to do something. It's going to need a lot more publication and more airtime, because this is a complicated issue that deserves to be recognized. In regards to bias, I believe that your response was correct in the fact that there is little bias communicated. Although, I do believe that there is some bias against the Indians shunning them and not understanding or empathizing with their side of the story. This is a distressing situation, but understanding both sides is essential to solve the issue.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned before, this is a very interesting article, an aspect of life gets very little press in our modern world. Soni, your response was very accurate and i agree with the bias and use of pictures to intrigue the audience and have them empathize with these widows. It would be interesting to know how this tradition started as well as how it might be changed. Overall it would be interesting to see where this idea of shunning widows came from. I think its an issue very particular to India with arranged marriages still being so common. This is definitely an area worth looking into for the Indian government and society. It is essential that the Indians themselves address the issue ultimately because they know all the intricate culture and norms that go along with it. Overall very interesting and good article Soni!!
ReplyDeleteGreat article and interesting as everyone else has been also saying! Your response definitely shows your understanding of the article and that you also did extra research to further comprehend the article and the issue it presents. I agree that the photos add on to showing the readers the reality of the situation that is happening in India due to the cultural discrimination against widows. I agree with the previous responses that even though NGO organizations could bring lot of help in this area, Indians themselves also have to recognize the significance and the seriousness of the issue. Great article and response!! Good job Soni~!
ReplyDeleteThe extremeness of the woman's story makes the article hard to believe at first but upon closer examination that article's mentioned traditions do line with culture in India. Its a sad reality that such human rights violations are occurring so blatantly in India's society. For me it shows once more the power of Jesus' message, who told his followers to care for widows and orphans and not cast them out from society. Its definitely and article worth sharing that contains a powerful message.
ReplyDeleteDefinatley a great article choice, and extremely interesting. Your response was extremely detailed and accurate, and the way that you actually did further research truly shows your dedication, and effort in this article. I agree that the photos were a great ploy in the article, however i would disagree that they bring little bias. Clearly it is biased in which they are smiling, and having a good time. It futher emphisises the authors point. However, i do believe that this area needs alot of help and love, and the world should recognize that the need in this area.
ReplyDeleteThis article is extremely interesting. It is hard to see these woman suffering as wishing they were dead. The pictures add so much to actually see these woman and their faces as you read their stories. I think your response was good. It would be really cool to do missions in an area like this and be able to help these woman through their suffering.
ReplyDeleteThis is the power of photojournalism--putting faces to cold statistics (and it was good that you pointed that out). It's more of a challenge to find bias within this medium, but I think one can say with certainty that the writer is completely against the stigma that has latched on to the status as a widow in India.
ReplyDeleteReally, the article comes across as more of a creative piece, making brief mention of governmental going-ons and placing a heavier emphasis on some of the women who actually face this problem. Though that can be more effective in a way, it may perhaps obscure the extent of the issue in India--useful information.
This was a really interesting article and your response was extremely well done. I would disagree with you in that the article has no bias, this author could have easily chosen pictures (even subconsciously) that emphasize the points he is trying to make. I loved seeing the pictures of the women in these stories, they felt more real and not quite so distant. It breaks my heart to hear the stories of what these women go through. Human rights is an incredibly prevalent issue in today's world among most cultures to different degrees. This author recognizes that the first step to changing an unjust situation is to make people aware of that. Great article and great response!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure why it says "unknown" but this was Carlin Couch's response.
DeleteA thought-provoking read and a thorough response. I agree with the observations that you made regarding the technique used to convey the message of this article. The author is using their words wisely to instill a sense of empathy for the widows who are abused and sent out onto the streets. The world, and by the world I mean our generation, needs to take heed of the mistakes of the past and take the action necessary to change the future for the better.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your article I guess because I'm female and I kind of understand some aspects of the message provided. Your response was really well thought out and very thought provoking like Braden mentioned. Good job on your response:)
ReplyDeleteThis was a good article choice that really seemed to hit the heart of this issue. It was heartbreaking to hear these stories of the way that Indian culture shuns and ostracizes widows to the point where they would rather die than keep living this way. I think you are right about the fact that there is very little bias or background information given in this article but this was an interesting way to present the issue. Overall, great article and response!
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