- important cuz child widows due to child marriage & high age gap
- Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar efforts led to HWRA 1856
- but upon remarriage, lady lost right to dead husband’s property
- In Maharashtra, Vishnu Shastri Pandit formed Society of Widow Remarriage 1866 & his rivals also set up a society
- the debate continued even after 1856 law
- Jyotibha Phule: effort among lower castes in Maha for WR but failed
- Pandita Ramabai:
- opposed role model of educated but obedient wives
- brahmin, unmarried for long, married late, to lower caste man
- after husband died, went to England to study medicine
- converted to christianity
- criticized even by reformers
- went to US, raised money for a widow home in Bombay
- In Madras, Veerasalingam Pantulu active
Result
- failed as masses led by orthodox hindus (won debates via scriptures)
- Lower caste also stopped widow remarriage
- by 1900, only 38 widow remarriages in Maharashtra
- success in Haryana though
- custom of marrying dead husband’s younger brother