The widow is a lady whose spouse/husband has died. The state of having lost one’s spouse is termed as WIDOWHOOD. In India, a widow is perceived as a burden to the family. Whether young or old, widowed women leave behind their colorful saris, part with their jewellery, and even shave their heads. It is an act of symbolic castration. Some widows also change their diet as per their tradition. Nowadays, it has changed. It depends on different families. If they are in the more conservative Hindu traditions.
Aparna Malikar, a farm widow with two daughters Rohini and Samruddhi. She was grappling with legal and procedural problems after her husband Sanjay committed suicide in 2009 due to his inability to pay back the loans.
She was tortured by her brothers-in-law. They tried to throw Aparna out of her own house so that they could capture her land. Two weeks after Sanjay committed suicide, one of Aparna’s brothers-in-law lodged a complaint accusing Aparna’s father Arun and brother Amol of pushing Sanjay towards death. Aparna’s brothers-in-law were harassing them thinking that Aparna would give up the farmland. The entire village stood by her for not giving up the 16-acre land which her husband used to cultivate till his death and she took over after he died. With the help of political connections, one of Sanjay’s brothers lodged an FIR against Arun and Amol. They spent more than 45 days in jail on charges of abetting suicide and common intention before securing bail. Police found a suicide note that accused Sanjay’s in-laws of harassing and threatening him, but the defense argued that the letter had been planted. The case was in trial stage at the session’s court in Pandharkavda, a cotton-trading town 40km down National Highway 7. All this didn’t stop her from raising her two daughters. In 2011, she was selected for KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI(KBC) special, DUSRA MAUKA. On that show, she earned Rs.6.4 Lakhs and Amitabh Bachchan promised her Rs.50000 on his behalf, rather he gave her a cheque worth Rs.1 Lakh. With that money she educated her daughters, she paid off all her loans altogether and she even built a house.
KBC changed her life completely. She fought against her in-laws and was successful in educating her daughters, paying off loans, and building a house. Obstacles in her path didn’t stop her from doing all this. She was very thankful to KBC and also Amitabh Bachchan as he gave her Rs. 1 Lakh from his side.
Her courage helped her to overcome the hardships. The fact that she has to raise her two daughters pushed her to fight against her in-laws. She hopes that she doesn’t have to see those days again. Her daughters and her family were her pillars of strength throughout this nightmare. Through this, she kept her mental strength stable which was quite tough for her as her in-laws didn’t let her breathe after Sanjay’s suicide. They tortured her and her family throughout. She was all alone when her father and brother were in jail but she still stood strong and fought all odds. Hope all her dreams come true.
Aparna Malikar taught us how to stand strong despite all the hardships. She also taught us to always stand with the truth no matter how many people are against you. The honest one will always win the battle in the long run.
Michelle Obama rightly said. Women can accomplish anything she wants even with all the obstacles and that too better than any men out there. Men can’t discourage our dreams. All the obstacles make a woman stronger and more adamant to achieve their goals.
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”- Michelle Obama
