#history
#memory
First Widow Remarriage
7th December, 1856 is the historic day, when the first official remarriage of a Hindu widow took place under the leadership of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
Every road in Calcutta seemed to lead to House No.12, on Sukeas Street. The wedding was taking place at the house of Raj Krishna Bandhopadhyay, a professor of the Presidency College. There was a large, excitable crowd on the streets and the palanquin carrying the bridegroom faced utmost difficulty to proceed through.
Apprehensions of riots had led the organisers to seek help from the police. Right through the entire route of the palanquin, constables were deployed a yard apart. A group of influential people, mostly Derozians including Ramgopal Ghosh, Harachandra Ghosh, Sambhunath Pandit, Dwarakanath Mitra and others, escorted the palanquin till the marriage venue and leading them was a Brahmin, a man of small stature, yet standing tall because of his ideals.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar who led the crusade for remarriage of Hindu widows was right at the forefront.
The Hindu Widow’s Remarriage Act, 1856 was a law that legalised the remarriage of Hindu widows in India. The Act was passed by Lord Canning and drafted by Lord Dalhousie before the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
It was the first major social reform after the abolition of Sati by Lord William Bentinck.
The Act had several provisions, including:
Legalised remarriage –
The Act removed legal obstacles to remarriage for Hindu widows.
Legitimacy of children –
The Act made the children of remarried widows legitimate and capable of inheriting property.
Guardianship of children – If the deceased husband’s will did not appoint a guardian, the court could appoint someone.
Rights to the deceased husband’s property –
The widow’s rights to her deceased husband’s property ended upon her remarriage.
Punishment for abetting marriage –
Anyone who knowingly abetted a marriage in contravention of the Act could be imprisoned for up to one year, fined, or both.
The first legal remarriage of a widow, ten-year old Kalimati, was held with Srischandra Vidyaratna, a colleague of Vidyasagar at the Sanskrit College.
– Joy Kallivayalil.
