Available online at: http://journals.rsfpress.com/index.php/ijmesh
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH)
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
Volume 3 Number 2 (2020): 37-49
Corresponding author
rameshadhikary29@gmail.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31098/ijmesh.v3i2.243 Research Synergy Foundation
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique to Deepa Mehata’s
Film Water)
Ramesh Prasad Adhikary
Tribhuvan University, M.M. Campus, Nepal
Abstract
This research paper is focused in Deepa Mehta's Film Water to study the plight of Hindu widows. As the
tradition of Hindu society, widows are compelled to adopt the widow system. Chuyia, the eight-year-old
protagonist is sent to a Bidhuwa Ashram in Benaras because of her widowhood. The exploitation of
child-marriage in the grip of patriarchal culture of widowhood, and the rejection of Chuyia to accept her
widowhood is presented in the film. Kalyani, the second young widow in the ashram, revolts against such
inhuman culture and decides to get married. She is forced to act as a 'prostitute' in the house of
bourgeois. Chuyia is also sexually exploited by bourgeois. Through a qualitative work using Feminism
framework, I offer a powerful critique on the Hindu Widow System based on Deepa Mehta’s Water, by
not only showing its religious, bourgeoisie, and patriarchal underpinnings that treat widows to the level
of living deeds, but also shows the possibility of subverting such dogmas by raising the issue of widow
marriage. The conclusion is that the film Water by Deepa Mehta presents the predicament of Indian
Hindu widows. It shows the inert life of the group of widows obliged to live in a widow house neglected
from society because of Hindu widow system
Keywords: Widow, Patriarchy, Hinduism, Prostitution, Stereotype, Tradition
This is an open access article under the CC–BY-NC license
INTRODUCTION
This research paper focuses on the film Water which portrays the evil widow tradition and the
plight of Hindu widows. Deepa Mehta’s Water is a film which presents the plight of Indian Hindu widows
of 1930s. It also presents colorless life of widows who are obliged to live in a widow house being
alienated and hated by society. They are taken worthless without a husband. They have to struggle to
survive by begging and also have to involve into prostitution activities.
In the film Mehta presents how girls and women are deeply victimized by the Hindu system
regarding the widowhood. The protagonist like Chuyia and Kalyani and others were compelled for child
marriage and when their husbands died, they had to face the evil destiny of exploitation. The religious
norms and evil tradition of Hindu culture forced widows to live the life full hatred being detached from
society and spending the absurd life in widow ashram. Rich Brahmins exploited and commodified
widows. Chuyia and Kalyani unwillingly turned to prostitution in order to fulfill the poverty and run the
ashram.
In the film, the setting is 1938 Benaras, a city in India where widow houses still exist. It is set
during the period of the British Raj or British Indian Empire when India was still under colonial rule by
the British. Child marriages of young girls were common in certain parts of India at that time. When a
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International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
Ramesh Prasad Adhikary
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
38 │
man from an orthodox Hindu family died, his young widow would be forced to spend the rest of her life
in an institution for widows in order to make amends for the sins from the previous life which
supposedly caused her husband’s death. Deepa Mehta adopts the very notion of widowhood as a subject
matter for her film Water. She focuses on the abuse of widows in India.
Mehata’s film Water begins with the life of eight year old Chuyia, a child bride whose husband
dies and she is left in widow's house in Benaras. There she is expected to spend the rest of her life in the
process of renunciation. Chuiya as she is a child she does not know about widow system, in spite of that
she is forced to live the life of widows adopting the ritual of widowhood. She begins to spend the life of
widow by adopting the life of self denial thinking that she must not have to live in the ashram for a long;
one day she will go to her home. The arrival in the ashram changes the life of widows especially Kalyani
and Shakuntala who begin to question against injustice widow system.
Based on the movie, once widowed, a woman ceased to exist as a person; that she is no longer
either daughter or daughter in law. There is no place for her in the community and she is viewed as a
threat to society. A woman’s sexuality and fertility, which is so valuable to her husband in his lifetime, is
converted upon his death into a potential danger, as if they were the mortality of the community.
The original meaning of Sati which is a Sanskrit word is simply a faithful and devout wife, and
the term denotes especially to the woman who immolated herself. Though Sati is considered as a Hindu
custom, the women, known as sati in Hindu religious literature, did not commit suicide in their dead
husband's pyre. The first woman known as sati was the consort of lord Shiva. She burnt herself in the fire
as protest against her father who did not give Shiva the respect she thought he deserved. While burning
herself she prayed to reborn again as the new consort of Shiva, which she become and her name in the
new incarnation is Parvati. In this way the word sati (Suttee in English) comes to exist which is described
as Hindu custom in India in which the widow is burnt on her dead husband's pyre in the process of
renunciation.
Sati dies as a wife, eschewing the ill fated, ominous, and impure state of widowhood. The religious
dogmas believe that through her sacrifice the sati preserved the bodily and spiritual unity of the couple,
affording the Hindu marriage sacrament, which is ultimate and the truest expression. Moreover, it is
believed that a woman dying on the funeral pyre of her husband can enjoy eternal bliss in heaven and
self immolation is the only meritorious course that a virtuous widow can follow. So the term denotes the
wife who performed the supreme act of fidelity by sacrificing herself which is an effort of transcending
the state of widowhood. The situation becomes more exacerbated in the case of childhood marriage. This
paper shows that by the film Water, Mehata has presented the social critique of the then society. By
presenting the pathetic condition of widows and their rebellion against the Hindu social tradition, the
film portrays social reality. This research paper makes its analyses from feminist point of view to make
public aware about the tradition of Hindu religion.
LITERATURE REVIEW: HINDU WIDOW SYSTEM AND THE FILM
Different critics have given their criticism regarding Hindu widow tradition and culture
along with the film Water. In "Can the subaltern speak?” Spivak describes the act of sati as follows:
The Hindu widow ascends the pyre of the dead husband and immolates herself upon it. This
is widow sacrifice. The rite was not practiced universally and was not caste or class-fixed.
(93)
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
Ramesh Prasad Adhikary
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
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Here, according to Spivak the subordination of women to the superstructure of male
domination includes the very denial of breath and life; the subaltern woman (widow) is not
expected to die to preserve the honor of the dead husband, but is indeed imagined to desire death.
The death of sacrificed is predicated on the death of her husband which makes clear that women
has no self identity.
On the other side, child marriage is one of the cultural practices in Hindu society where
the children are married in their childhood, without knowing the exact sacraments of marriage. As
seen on the movie, once the girls' husband dies, they are compelled to follow the widow system
without knowing what is meant to be widow. So, the exploitation of child, reflected on our art of
interest, can be seen in traditional Hindu society. Regarding the child marriage and the
exploitation of child because of Hindu sati custom, Anjana Kant (2003) has defined the culture of
widowhood where she writes that the position of woman in the words of Shastri appeared to be
as follows:
The enforced child-marriages, the exposure of the female children by throwing them at
the junction of the Ganges and the sea, the violence used to make women follow the sati rule and,
thus, end their miserable existence. (57)
Here, Kant opines that women have to renounce their life by following the custom of sati.
They are regarded as an object as they are obliged to perform the traumatic act by burning
themselves in the pyre of their husband's body and end their miserable existence. Moreover, the
girl children are also victim of the system as they were thrown at the junction of the sea. Being fed
up with the culture of sati women made a wish that they had never been born as a woman.
In Hindu tradition, widows have to detach from the society and live in an institution of
widows. Widows should shave their head and wear white custom. They cannot eat sweets and
delicious food. They cannot see their face in mirror nor should they look beautiful. They also
should not use any perfumes and their dress should be coarse and dirty. The use of any kind of
conveyance is prohibited. And, also, she cannot rest in the bed. All of above experiences are well
reflected in the movie.
The most sacred of Aryan scriptures are the Vedas, and the Rig Veda, the oldest Veda,
explicitly sanctions the custom of sati for widow. The following famous `Sati Hymn’ of the Rig
Veda was (and still is) recited during the actual immolation of the widow (Jamison & Joel, 2014).
Rig Veda X.18.7 “Let these women, whose husbands are worthy and are living, enter the house
with ghee (applied) as corrylium (to their eyes). Let these wives first step into the pyre, tearless
without any affliction and well adorned.” — [ Rig Veda X.18.7] (Jamison & Joel, 2014).
Traditionalism and religion play the dominant role in Hindu society which is regarded as
the great force. Women are the torch-bearers of religion and play an important role in preserving
both religion and culture. Women are obliged to adopt widow system because of the tradition and
culture of widowhood. Moreover they have no other option rather than embracing the system as
it is very obvious to say that patriarchy has effected in its worst form to Hindu women. In other
words patriarchy and religion is interrelated to each other. Religion is the outcome of patriarchy
and vice versa. The religious norms and values are made by the male authorities that are to be
followed by women.
In the book Women and Religion by Renavikar (1998), Margaret Anderson quotes:
"Sexism in traditional religious teachings and exclusion of women from positions of religious
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
Ramesh Prasad Adhikary
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authority indicate that religions authority indicate that religion is a powerful source for the
subordination of women in society" (33). Anderson views that "sex" play the crucial role in the
society. The religious value is itself patriarchy in the sense that it is constructed by men
authorities, where women are excluded from that, which calls the subordination of women in
society. Men they themselves set an ideology about women which is seen in The RigVeda Sacred
texts.
The RigVeda Sacred texts declares that the widow should remain chaste, though their
husband dies, by adopting the concept of monogamy. However, there is not any passages in The
RigVeda Sacred texts that declares that man also should remain chaste after their wife is dead.
The Hindu religious values are set by the men themselves where they impart that widows should
not get remarried but men can get remarried. Thus, the concept of polygamy is set for men by
men themselves.
Similarly, another protagonist of the film named Kalyani is greatly affected by the widow
system of the society. She is only the stunning young widows among other who is forced to
prostitution. As widows are regarded as family burden in their house so they were sent to
Bidhuwa Ashram. And to run ashram, they often beg for money sitting on the temple and often
turn on prostitution. And it is regarded as the tradition in the society. Stephen Hunter (2006), a
critic sets forward that it has become duty of widows to perform such act and quotes:
Even as reform seems close at hand, traditional obligations impose tragedy upon the
ashram [as] one of the duties of the widows is to perform the occasional act of the prostitution, to
keep the economic enterprise afloat: thus Kalyani is selected for job [...] Even worst is the fate
that awaits the irrepressible Chiyia. (C 1)
The film shows the commodification of widows. Kalyani is a character who is forced to be
commodified in the hands of rich Brahmins they are the bourgeoisie of the society. The people of
the society are themselves pretender in the sense that on the one hand, they regard widows
should remain chaste as declared by religious books but men themselves violates the chastity of
widows by sleeping with them. William Arnold (2006), a movie critic, regarding the patriarchal
tradition of society writes that; "It is a tragic love story that fearlessly attacks the enslaving
hypocrisy of patriarchal tradition that has developed over thousands of years of socio-economic
imperatives and now disguise itself as religion" (5). Arnold here, states that socio-economic
imperatives are the outcome of patriarchal tradition and widows are interiorized in the society
because of these imperatives.
Jennette Catsoulis (2006) views that widows are institutionally oppressed because of
patriarchal imperatives. Water is fine film about the institutionalized oppression of an entire class
of women and the way patriarchal imperatives inform religious belief Serene of the surface yet
roiling underneath, the film by neatly parallels the plight of widows under Hindu fundamentalism
to that of India under British colonialism. Though Gandhi and his followers are as insistent
background presence the movie is never didactic, trusting the simply rhythms of the women's
lives to tell the story. (19)
In this way, different critics have given their views regarding women and widow
oppression in the society and conventionalized widow system is the root cause for this. This
research is focused on Deepa Mehta’s film which not only presents a powerful critique on Hindu
Widow System by showing its religious, bourgeoisie and patriarchal underpinnings that treat
widows to the level of living deeds but also shows the possibility of subverting such dogmas by
raising the issue of widow marriage. These things are untouched by the aformentioned critics.
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
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THEORETICAL METHODOLOGY: FEMINISM
In this research paper, the researcher has used feminism as a tool to interpret the film and to
redefine female identity.
The term "feminism" coined from the early period of nineteenth century. Feminism as a literary
discourse came after 1960s. In its broadest concept, feminism continues to be closely interrelated with
the movement by political feminism for social, economic, and cultural freedom. Generally, it advocates
women's right based on a belief in the equality of the sexes politically and biologically from a women
centered point of view and it refuses to accept the cult of masculine Chauvinism and superiority that
reduces women to sex object, a second sex, and a submissive to the man. Feminism seeks to eliminate the
subordination, oppression, inequalities and injustices of women which they suffer because of their sex,
and it further defends equal rights for women in a political, economic, social, psychological, personal and
aesthetic sense. So, feminism is associated with the women's movement or the feminist movement
culture is a transformational social movement that focuses on changing the mostly institutional and
social attitudes.
Feminism came into practice to eradicate the against women's marginalization in all social
forms of knowledge and practice. This happens because our society, civilization and practices all are
pervasively patriarchal, that is male centered, which is controlled, organized and conducted in such a
way that it subordinates women in all cultural domains such as family, religious, political, economic,
social, legal and so forth. By this cultural process the masculine in our culture has come to be widely
defined as active, dominating, adventurous rational, creative, and the feminine by systematic opposition
to such traits. Men are always empowered with the sense of "I am man she is woman, I am strong she is
weak, I am tough, she is tender. I am rely sufficient, she is needful" (Ruth 54, 1990).
It is the patriarchal social order which subjugates women folks to a second class or even third
class citizenship. Here, women are projected as the 'other' subordinate being. Moreover, women are not
regarded as an autonomous being; they are always identified by, with men. In her book The Second Sex,
Beauvoir (1974) states, "Thus, humanity is male and man defines woman not as herself but as relative to
him, she is not regarded as an autonomous being." (XVIII). She views that, women are always takes as
relative being, they are introduced with relation to their father, husband or son. Regarding the
patriarchal traditions Elise Boulding writes:
Patriarchal ethics brings in different kinds of socialization practices for the male and female in
the family which ultimately lead to turn the male child into an 'oppressor' and the female child
into a victim when they become adults. At the root of such oppressions against women is the
reality that women are taken as 'objects' of both discriminations are violence of men. (Sinha
23)
Boulding holds a belief that patriarchy is the root cause for bringing discrimination in the society
between sexes and subordination of women by men.
In this way feminism emerged as a reaction for the patriarchy and oppression of women in
different field of the society, and it aims the quality between all genders. Not only in the western society
but also all over the world including Third World Countries, women began to seek their hidden identity
and speak for their rights in the patriarchal society.
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Women of third world countries are enforced to follow the tradition. The status of women in the
society is no more than that of a mute animal. For example, women are obliged to follow the hierarchical
social systems where they cannot find their respectable position. Regardless of caste, class or religion
women are differentiated as secondary objects. The society keeps them aloof from social matters like
decision making, participating in political matters, problem solving, social and familiar discussions and in
financial issues. She even does not have right to make her own decision as she is deprived by tradition. As
can be seen in Suguna Paul(1986) whose essay defended the women's right:
Women have been suppressed under custom and have for which man was responsible and in
shaping of which she has no hand... Woman has as much right to shape her destiny as man has
to shape his...It is up to men to see that they enable them to realize their full status and play
their part as equal as men. (44)
Here, Paul views that because of men made tradition, women cannot speak for their desires in
the society. She also has right of human being to shape her destiny and it is very men who must enable
them (women) for having equal rights and opportunities in the society.
Marriage is regarded as an institution of enslavement, where women are slaves of their
husband, where Uma Narayan (1997) wrote that reported:
Marriage is an oppressive institution for many women is something that predates my explicit
acquisition of a feminist politics, and is something I initially learned not from books but from
Indian women in general and my female relatives in particular. (9)
Here, Narayan holds a belief regarding marriage that it is an institution in which women work as
slaves or workers for their husbands and husbands are regarded as the owners or masters of the
marriage institution.
While saying, it may seem biased to go against the tradition of the nation. But feminists opine that
the tradition is patriarchal and made in hierarchal order which is just a construction that subordinates
women in a great extent, which is very true as seen in society, such tradition should be change. Narayan
(1997) views that third world feminist need to be particularly alert to how much relatively uncontested
change is needed for the better improvement of women and quotes, "we need to re-describe and
challenge this picture of "Unchanging traditions" that supposedly are only now in danger of betrayal as a
result of feminist instigation" (25).
Moreover, the people's notion about the proper role of women in the home and society and the
social restrictions on women are all rooted in religions conception. Moreover, the religious scriptures
and The RigVeda Sacred texts have influenced the status of women. The passage in the RigVeda declares
that "the women are very fickle" (qtd. in Altekar 319). There is always misrepresentation of women in
the religion's literature or scriptures, for example in India famous literature Mahabharata, it is told that
"sensual enjoyment is the sole aim of women's existence” (320). Hence, women are always taken as a
means of enjoyment.
Thus, the widow system is just violence against women. The concept of violence against woman
here does not include only physical assault on her, but also physical and mental torture, harassment,
exploitation, discrimination, which she has to undergo for being a woman. The state of widowhood
represents the “climax of violence against women in our society. A widow in Hindu society has to
undergo various kinds of socio-religious, cultural oppression as well as economic hardship" (Sinha 121).
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
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In this way, conventionalized tradition and culture is the reason behind exploitation of women
in its worst form. Indeed, feminism has often focused upon what is absent rather than what is present,
reflecting concern with the silencing and marginalization of women in a patriarchal culture; a culture
organized in the favor of men, where their (women) existence in the society is always inferior to man.
Feminism tries to minimize the oppression of women caused by the patriarchal tradition and culture,
and seeks the equal rights and opportunities between men and women.
ANALYSIS OF MEHTA’S WATER
In the film Water, Deepa Mehta presents an issue regarding widowhood where the widows are
forced to live a detached life adopting Hindu widow system. Following the system of widowhood,
widows live the life of self denial in the widow house known as Bidhuwa Ashram.
The film examines the plight of group of widows forced to live into poverty at a temple in the
holy city of Benaras. The women are sent here to expiate bad karma as well as to relieve their families
from financial and emotional burdens. The gloom setting of the film explores the unhappiness of the
widows. Plight of widows represents the worst form of discrimination against women in India.
Superstitious families say widows are bad luck and blame for the death of their husband. The film
illustrates widows struggle to survive and shows the rituals of widowhood.
All the widows live in the ashram as homelessness and lack of parent’s love and affection. The
ashram is a melancholy place with old widows. Mehta presents Chuyia and Kalyani as protagonist s and
shows the exploitation of these characters along with others like Shakuntala and Patirajji (Bua), because
of the tradition of the widowhood.
Water follows the life of eight year old Chuyia, a child bride abandoned at widow’s house in
Benaras after the death of her husband. There, she is expected to spend the rest of her life in penitence.
She does not want to accept her fate of widow and becomes catalyst for change in the lives of widows,
but she is forced to live the life of widow because of the widow system. She even does not know when
marriage occurred and what it means to be a widow, which is realized in the conversation between
Chuyia and her father:
Father: Do you remember getting married?
Chuyia: No.
Father: Your husband is dead. You are a widow now.
Chuyia: For how long, father?
These lines depict the exploitation of child Chuyia by the culture of child marriage and
widowhood. The eight year old Chuyia does not know that she was a married girl but now she is a
widow. She also does not know that she has to adopt the very widow system which is amalgation of
tradition, culture and religion. When her father tells that she is widow now, in her innocence she asks the
duration of remaining widow. Without knowing any marriage custom and what it means to be a wife,
without having any compassion and love towards her husband, she is compelled to live the life of a
widow imposed by tradition. Her question about the span of being widow makes her father dumb as he
cannot answer her question.
In the very beginning of the film, Chuyia’s husband dies, but she does not react on his death.
Actually she was married to a man of the mid fifties and after his death she follows the rituals of
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
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widowhood, as her mother- in -law smashes her red bangles. She is provided white cloth by taking of her
skirt and blouse as Hindu widow system does not permit widows to wear stitched clothes. The barber
shaves her head. Her father watches her young daughter performing an agonizing ritual. Chuyia does not
know why her head is shaved and why she is wearing white dhoti. Chuyia, while shaving her head curls
her toes which symbolizes mute protest. It is enforced by the belief that if the widow does not shave her
head every drops of water that falls upon the hair, pollutes her husband’s soul.
Widows are regarded as burden of family and society with a belief that they will bring
misfortune for rest of their (widows) family. So, all the women whose husbands die are sent to the
widow ashram in Benaras. They live rest of their life without having any contact with their families and
society. When Chuyia first goes to bidhuwa ashram with her father and mother in law, she is ignorant of
the fact that she is going to be left in ashram forever by her father. She peeps in ashram and she is afraid
of the appearance of two of the widows staring at her. Then, she runs out and asks her father to go back:
Chuyia: Let‟s go home father?
Father: This is your home now.
The above dialogue precisely conveys that after being widow, the tradition does not allow
Chuyia to live with her family. Chuyia does not like the ashram at her very sight so she pleads to return
back from that place but her father says that the very widow ashram is her home after her husband’s
death. When Chuyia listens that widow house is her home, then she innocently asks, “Where’s Ma?” She
thinks that in the house (ashram) she will live with her father and mother.
Deepa Mehta, in the film presents the society guided by patriarchal norms and values. There is a
system regarding widowhood and all women whose husband dies have to follow the very system. The
tradition that she shows regarding widowhood is very rigid and inhuman. Every religious dogma and
value have constructed the ideology of people in the society. Moreover, Women also follow the culture of
widowhood thinking that it is their duty to obey the culture. The character named Madhumati is
domineering of the widow house. She is guided by cultures and traditions of the society. She is very
hypocrite, fat and pompous lady in her seventies. As she herself is a widow and thinks widows have to
adopt the widow system by living the life of chastity and self denial in the ashram. She believes in the
religious scriptures and books.
Mehta presents her character Chuyia as a victim of widow system. Though she is innocent and
does not know about the culture of widowhood, Mehta makes Chuiya to utter such dialogue which
criticizes and protests against the dehumanization nature of tradition towards women. When Chuyia
listens to Madhumati saying her (Chuyia) life as a half dead because of her husband’s death she gives a
precise answer in her low voice, “Because she is half alive.” The line makes it clear that though widow is
regarded as half dead person doomed to live in one corner, still has half life. The people of the society do
not think that widows are also human beings and get hurt by animalistic behavior towards them.
In the film, culturally widows are treated as inferior beings. After being widow, culture denies
them to talk with other people of the society especially with any man. They even cannot touch other
person in the society as they are regarded impure. Widows also cannot run like other person. Overall,
widows should live the life of oppressed and suppressed in the society. The dialogue by woman to
Kalyani hints about the false assumption towards widows as she says, “What are you doing? Widows
should not run around like unmarried girl. You have polluted me? I have to bathe again.” The line of
woman conveys the attitude of the society towards widows. When Chuyia runs after the dog Kalu to
catch it, Kalyani follows her saying not to run after it, it will come back and on the very time she comes to
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
Ramesh Prasad Adhikary
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
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give a dash to woman. Woman who is guided by the patriarchal tradition of the society feels herself
impure by the very touch with Kalyani and says immoral to her for touching her (woman) and running
like unmarried girl. Widows are regarded as filth and pollution as woman says that she has to get bathe
again because Kalyani polluted her.
Shakuntala is the most enigmatic widow. She is quiet and reserved widow among other widows.
She believes in religious scriptures and is caught between her hatred of being widow and her fear of not
being a sincere, devote widow. She is devoting Hindu widow who listens the priest reciting the scriptures
to the pilgrims. Moreover, she herself reads the scriptures and tries to live as pure as possible. She
becomes a mother-figure for Chuyia. She cares about Chuyia, Kalyani and Bua. Mehta presents such a
character like Shakuntala to show the faithfulness and fidelity of wives towards their husbands. Though
Shakuntala follows widow system, in her heart she feels living a life of humiliation renouncing all the
human desires which is known by the conversation of Shakuntala with priest:
Priest: So many years of sacrifice and devotion, do you feel closer to self liberation? Shakuntala: If
self liberation means detachment from worldly desires, then no, I am no closer.
Shakuntala’s statement satires the religious dogmas of the widowhood culture which forwards
the view that self liberation is attained by the detachment from the worldly desires. She expresses that
she has not gained self liberation as described by the religion because she is still attached to the
worldly desires and she seems to seek the self liberation in such worldly desires.
Widows are regarded as bad omen in the society. Moreover the shadow of the widows is
regarded as an upcoming misfortune and bad luck in the society which is expressed by the dialogue of
priest to Shakuntala as he says, “Watch it! Do not let your shadow touch the bride.” When Shakuntala
goes to the river to get holy water, on the very side of the river there is wedding ceremony going on. As
she stops there to fill the pot with water, the ceremony comes to an abrupt halt. The priest sharply says
her not to be present there as she is misfortune for a child bride who is just married. Lowering her eyes
in humiliation and apology she goes back taking her pot.
In the middle part of the film, all widows come to the temple to listen the preaching of priest.
Chuyia finds that all are women listening preach. She looks all women and priest and presumes that the
white length of cloth in which they are wrapped in, is a uniform worn by both man and woman widows.
She nudged Shakuntala and asks, “Didi, where is the house for male widows?” The line of Chuyia truly
depicts that the tradition and culture are made in hierarchy order. Tradition and culture are the outcome
of patriarchal norms and values which discriminates woman from man. Chuyia‟s question about the
house for widower is very just question in the sense that Hindu widow system imposes widows to live
their lives in an ashram alienated from society but there is not any system made for men who are
widower.
One of the duties of widow is to beg for money sitting outside the temple. Chuyia is not
accustomed with such act of begging. One day she also goes with other widows and sits outside the
temple. She does not know that she is there to beg money. In the very moment a woman and her
daughter comes out from the temple. The young girl of her teens is in red sari and blouse. Chuyia seeing
her remembers her red sari, blouse and bangles. She goes on seeing the mother and daughter, which
make us feel that perhaps she is remembering her mother. The girl gives Chuyia a coin, and she (Chuyia)
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
Ramesh Prasad Adhikary
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
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realizes that she is there to beg as beggar. Her hatred towards such culture of begging can be known by
her action as she leaves the place saying, “I hate you”, to Shakuntala.
Narayan, is a young and charming character of upper class, follower of Mahatma Gandhi falls in
love with Kalyani on his very first sight. Upon meeting Kalyani there is a immediate attraction but the
restriction placed on interaction with widows make it difficult to find a way of pursuing any kind of
relationship. Kalyani feels insecure in presence of him as for widow; tradition does not allow her to talk
to man. Kalyani prohibited by culture from addressing a stranger directly speak to Narayan through
Chuyia and says, “Chuyia, tell him not to follow us. It will be sin.”
Narayan begins to think about Kalyani and desires to get marry with her. Moreover, Kalyani on
the other hand cannot get the young man (Narayan) out of her mind and begins to love him too in spite of
knowing that to think of other man is sin. When Narayan asks Kalyani about her marriage and her
husband she says, “I do not remember. I never met him.” The line of Kalyani depicts that she does not
remember her marriage which reveals to us that she was married in her teens. Though she does not
remember her marriage ceremony and does not recognize her husband, she is following the culture of
widowhood. Narayan says to her that he likes her and wants to marry her. Kalyani also likes him and
wants to get married with him. Kalyani ignores social taboo by falling love with Narayan.
Mehta presents Kalyani as a revolutionary figure by making her to act against the widow system.
The secret is revealed by Chuyia who is thrilled at the prospect of wedding feast where one can eat as
many sweets and forbidden foods. When Madhumati forbids Chuyia from eating puri, Chuyia in her
protest says,” I will eat hundred puri in Kalyani’s wedding.” Madhumati comes to know through Chuyia
that Kalyani is going to get married; she screams towards Chuyia and says “widows do not get married.”
Chuyia in her anger goes on saying, “Kalyani will get married. She will. She will. She will. Drown yourself,
liar!”
Madhumati, after knowing Kalyani is going to get married, with rage goes towards the room of
Kalyani and following conversation occurs between them:
Madhumati: Chuyia, says you are getting married?
Kalyani: Yes.
Madhumati: Have you gone mad? Nobody marries a widow.
Kalyani: He will.
Madhumati: Shameless! You will sink yourself and us. We all will be cursed. We must live in purity
to die in purity.
The above dialogues between Madhumati and Kalyani depict that Madhumati is guided by
orthodox tradition and religion, and regards that widows cannot marry; it will be great sin. But Kalyani
tries to revolt such inhuman culture of religion by declaring that she is going to get married with
Narayan. The saying of Madhumati about living in purity and die in purity truly explores the hypocrisy of
Madhumati in the sense that on the one hand she talks about chastity and purity of widow on the other
hand she sends Kalyani across the river to perform the act of prostitution in the house of bourgeois.
Kalyani raises question against Madhumati’s act of sending her across the river for the act of
prostitution. She expresses the double code of tradition imposed to her. Tradition does not allow her to
re-marry and sets a belief that she must be faithful towards her dead husband by not having any physical
relation with other man but it is the same tradition because of which she is sent across the river for the
sexual fulfillment of the bourgeois.
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
Ramesh Prasad Adhikary
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
47 │
Chuyia thinks that widow house is not her house and her stay is temporary one. She will go to
her house soon which is expressed in the following dialogues of Chuyia to Shakuntala:
Shakuntala: Don‟t u have a dry sari?
Chuia: It is in your house.
Shakuntala: Bring it tomorrow.
Chuyia: Tomorrow, I will be in my house.
The dialogue of Chuyia expresses that widow house is Shakuntala’s house. She does not want to
accept the widow system that after her husband death, that ashram is her house. She lives in widow
house in a illusion that one day she will go to her home.
After knowing Kalyani‟s effort to violate the culture of widowhood, Madhumati locks her in the
room. Moreover, she cuts her hair and says to other widows of the ashram, “We would have burned in
hell because of her. I have saved you all!” Madhumati denies Kalyani’s desire of getting remarried as she
thinks it is against Hindu religion. Furthermore, she uses an abusive language to curse Kalyani which is
expressed as, “Let’s see the whore get married now.”
The word whore here expresses about the treatment and use of language towards widows.
Chuyia in her sadness asks Shakuntala to open the door. Shakuntala as a devout wife says, “To think
about remarriage is sin.” Chuyia asks the reason for denying Kalyani‟s marriage and Shakuntala says,
“Ask with God.” Chuyia is a destabilizing force, questioning not only her own confinement but the logic of
other widows.
Chuiya is the rebel who provides the voice for Mehta’s broadside against the religious tradition
of widowhood. Chuyia opens the cage to free the Mitthu. As soon as it becomes released she dies. It
shows her protest against the prison like life of widows in the ashram such as Kalyani is locked inside the
room. It seems that she is not only imprisoned in a room rather she is captive by the very traditional
culture of Indian widowhood. There is a not alternative ahead of Mitthu like Kalyani who becomes free at
first but her freedom causes her death at last. The death of a bird and Kalyani seems same. Both are
helpless, marginalized in the society. Both are treated in a same way. People make Mitthu domestic by
arresting its freedom and Kalyani too is used by the same people time to time as a prostitute.
The characters in a Bidhuwa Ashram are living a meager life. When Bua dies, there is not money
for her cremation. Kalyani gives few coins to Shakuntala for the cremation of Bua. Moreover, Kalyani
says, “Didi, I was saving these for my cremation.” As women are not given any opportunity to work in
economic field, they are living the poorest life by begging and often turning to prostitution, which is
explicitly shown in the film. Corruption in ashram is shown by the event of Bua’s funeral. Madhumati
does not give money from the fund though she is head in the ashram. The money given by Seth in terms
of Kalyani is misused by Madhumati.
Mehta shows the Indian culture of widowhood contrast to British culture. Once Narayan takes
Kalyani in carriage for the tour of the city. In the very moment there comes the edge of the city, and he
says that it is the very place where British lives. Kalyani feels insecure as tradition prohibits her to be
with Narayan and if anyone recognizes her as a widow being with a man ( Narayan). Her face goes on
dark as she is afraid, Narayan notices her and the following conversation occurs between them:
Narayan: They do not care if you are a widow.
International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Vol. 3 (2), 37-49
Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
Ramesh Prasad Adhikary
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
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Kalyani: Why? Don‟t they have widows?
Narayan: Of course they do. But not like ours; they do not treat them like we do.
The dialogue of Narayan reveals that there is not any system regarding widowhood in west in
contrast to the east. In the dialogue the word “they‟”means British and “our” means Indians. It does not
matter for British if they see widows with man. Mehta’s main purpose of bringing only reference of
widowhood culture contrast to westerners‟ culture hints her critique of the treatment of Hindu widows
which serves as a useful remainder to Indians for their need of a benevolent globalization from West.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on Feminist Theory, it is concluded that the film Water by Deepa Mehta presents the
predicament of Indian Hindu widows. It shows the inert life of the group of widows obliged to live in a
widow house neglected from society because of Hindu widow system; a cultural violation of the women
identity in a society. Mehta shows how the characters have become the victim of the tradition and culture
regarding widowhood as exemplified by the protagonists like Chuyia and Kalyani. Mehta criticizes the
tradition regarding widowhood through her characters Chuyia and Kalyani. Mehta shows the possibility
of subverting such culture of widowhood by raising the issue of widow marriage. Mehta shows her
characters being suffered by the culture of widowhood as the consequent of such culture imparts the
tragic end of the characters in the film.
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Plight of Widows in Hindu Religion (A Social Critique To Deepa Mehata’s Film Water)
Ramesh Prasad Adhikary
ISSN 2580-0981 (online)
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