This March 8, the International Women’s Day, we at The News on Sunday want to focus on something drastically different -- women who are widows. We want to see what life is like for these women who have lost their life partners at whatever stage of their lives.

This is a society where social and religious taboos and financial burdens weigh equally heavily on widows. Many of them face acute depression after the death of their husbands, as if they have lost their only anchor, and hence have no one or nowhere to turn to. Those with children have something to turn their attention to, but in the process forget their own lives as individuals.

In our Special Report today, it is heartening to see that at least a few of the widows around us are coping well with the hindrances and carving a life for themselves by overcoming, breaking social and financial barriers.

Read also: Life after the partner

Most widows have to struggle hard to get their rightful share in husband’s property according to the inheritance laws and some laws are manipulated against them. There is a detailed article on how the widows can make adequate use of laws.

Widows are expected to exist in a mode of submission or get re-married to fit in into an ‘acceptable’ role. This wrests from them their right to live an individual’s life where they can freely make their own decisions and chart their future path. Their portrayal in the media, especially in dramas, reinforces the image of conforming to accepted social norms and traditions, leaving no space to challenge the status quo.

As the society continues to see widows in a particular sad and isolated role, we want to challenge it and expect them to live their normal happy lives.