Vidarbha’s farm widows who refuse to remarry

In Maharashtra’s drought-prone regions, widow remarriage is gradually shifting from a social taboo to wider acceptance. The shift is partly shaped by the growing number of unmarried farmers struggling to find women willing to marry them. Faced with low incomes, agrarian uncertainty and the social challenges of farming, many such men are now turning to widows. But Radheshyam Jadhav finds that many women are declining these proposals, choosing financial independence and personal autonomy over the complexities that often accompany remarriage

Severe cramps gripped her abdomen. Neelima Renge ached to scream her heart out in anguish and anger. She was eight months pregnant when her husband Moreshwar died by suicide. Crushed under the burden of debt, he decided to end his life. In that haze of grief, anger and pain, she decided never to remarry. More than a decade later, she has not wavered from that decision.