widows in india

ghosts. even their kids think they're 'unlucky' and don't acknowledge them. they shave their heads (they're not allowed to look pretty), they have to beg for food and NO ONE wants them around.





women





WORSE then second class citizens





we must all stop treating the world's women like this



(married at 12 a widow at 15 and now 80 something - she lived her WHOLE life as a non-person)


Shunned from society, widows flock to city to die





By Araw Damon


VRINDAVAN, India (CNN) -- Ostracized by society, thousands of India's widows flock to the holy city of Vrindavan waiting to die. They are found on side streets, hunched over with walking canes, their heads shaved and their pain etched by hundreds of deep wrinkles in their faces.


These Hindu widows, the poorest of the poor, are shunned from society when their husbands die, not for religious reasons, but because of tradition -- and because they're seen as a financial drain on their families.
They cannot remarry. They must not wear jewelry. They are forced to shave their heads and typically wear white. Even their shadows are considered bad luck.
Hindus have long believed that death in Vrindavan will free them from the cycle of life and death. For widows, they hope death will save them from being condemned to such a life again. Watch how some widows are rebelling »
"Does it feel good?" says 70-year-old Rada Rani Biswas. "Now I have to loiter just for a bite to eat."................

picture: A widow makes her way in Vrindavan, India, where an estimated 15,000 widows live on the streets.