29 gram panchayats from Khadakwasla to ban rituals associated with widowhood

The MVA government appreciated the Herwad gram panchayat’s resolution, and issued a GR to all local bodies, appealing them to follow the same

After the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s appeal and government resolution (GR) to that effect, 29 gram panchayats from the Pune district have decided to ban the age-old rituals associated with widowhood such as wiping of sindoor (vermilion), breaking of bangles, and removing of mangalsutra and toe ring following the husband’s demise.

Age-old rituals associated with widowhood such as wiping of sindoor (vermilion), breaking of bangles, and removing of mangalsutra and toe ring following the husband’s demise will be banned. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

All 29 gram panchayats from Pune district are passing a resolution to this effect on Thursday, June 9, as a mark of respect to women.

Recently, on May 5 this year, the Herwad gram panchayat of the Shirol taluka of Kolhapur district passed a resolution to stop all these practices associated with widowhood to maintain the dignity of women who lost their husbands.

The MVA government appreciated the Herwad gram panchayat’s resolution, and issued a GR to all local bodies, appealing them to follow the same. In the wake of this GR, the president of the Maharashtra women’s commission, Rupali Chakankar, took it upon herself to spread awareness about it. As Chakankar is from Pune and is part of the Khadakwasla assembly, she convinced 29 gram panchayats from the Khadakwasla assembly to stop these practices. “Khadakwasla assembly constituency will be Maharashtra’s first taluka to stop these age-old rituals,” Chakankar said. “The combined programme for stopping all these traditions and passing the resolution by the 29 gram panchayats will be held at the Bhairavnath temple at Dhyarai Thursday evening,” she said.

Member-secretary of the Maharashtra women’s commission Shraddha Joshi; Pune municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar; district collector Rajesh Deshmukh; zilla parishad (ZP) chief executive officer Ayush Prasad and other officials will also be present at the resolution passing programme. “Recently, I attended the last rites of my close relatives. As per tradition, all these rituals were going to be performed but I convinced all the relatives and they agreed not to follow these customs,” Chakankar said.