In India, widows are considered a ‘taboo’ in the society. There have been many reforms and campaigns and seminars, but one Gujarati businessman showed us precisely how to finish it. He invited about 18,000 widows to his son’s wedding to bless the bride and groom.
In an interview to Times Of India, Jitendra Patel said, “It was my heartfelt desire that the couple should be blessed by widows, who are mostly neglected by the society. Their presence is considered a bad omen at auspicious functions, but I wanted to prove that all these beliefs are nothing but superstitions,”
Every widow was gifted with a blanket and a sapling and about 500 widows who were from financially weaker backgrounds were also presented with a milking cow each.
“I can hope of earning a decent livelihood now that I have a cow. I never expected to get so much importance after becoming a widow,” said 55-year-old Hansa Thakore of Vijapur town in Mehsana district.
By: Archa Dave
