A quiet yet powerful social transformation is sweeping across rural Maharashtra, as over 7,000 villages have officially declared the abolition of discriminatory customs traditionally imposed upon widows. According to PTI reports, more than 7,683 villages—out of the state’s 27,000 gram panchayats—have passed resolutions in gram sabhas eliminating rituals that rob widows of dignity and reinforce social exclusion.

The movement gained traction in 2022 when Herwad, a village in Kolhapur district, became the first in the country to legally prohibit such customs. According to PTI, the village passed a resolution on 4 May 2022, banning practices such as the removal of the mangalsutra, toe rings, the wiping of sindoor (vermillion), and the breaking of bangles following the death of a woman`s husband.