Question

By virtue of whose efforts Hindu Widow Remarriage Act was passed in 1856 ?
A.Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
B.Raja Ram Mohan Roy
C.HV Derozio
D.None of the above

Answer 1

Hint:Even after colonialism, the attitude of women being an object to man remained as the rituals like Sati stayed in relevance. One of these rituals demanded widows to remain in the agony of their husband’s death till the day they die. Given the fact that most of the marriages happened in a younger group, these girls had to go through it for a long time. The changes came when a petition to abolish this ritual got presented by a well-liked Bengali educator and social reformer.

Complete answer:
India went through a phase that looked down at women in total sympathy yet ignorance to a point where they were considered as the doorway to hell. These uncultured beliefs originated during the old religious practices where people believed that the purpose of women was to serve the man and bear the coming generations. The life after becoming a widow was one of the worst scenarios for these women. In some regions of India, the widows were considered as a saint. They were restricted from all the physical pleasures and were not allowed to live like a normal person. They had to live in extremities and simple things like makeup, new clothes, good food were not provided to them. They were not allowed to participate in any festivities. The widow was considered as the unlucky person for the whole family.
This scenario changed when the enactment of The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act happened in 1856 . This law took the initiative to improve the condition of widows in India. The persuasion to establish the law came from Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, an educator and a social reformer from Bengal. He advocated for women who were restricted from their rights. Vidyasagar championed the upliftment of the status of women in India, particularly in his native Bengal. Unlike some other reformers who sought to set up alternative societies or systems, he sought to transform society from within.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note:As per the Widow Remarriage law: “No marriage contracted between Hindus shall be invalid, and the issue of no such marriage shall be illegitimate, by reason of the woman having been previously married or betrothed to another person who was dead at the time of such marriage, any custom and any interpretation of Hindu Law to the contrary notwithstanding.” It also provided the right to own the inheritance after the husband died.