Water and Blue Necked God: A Topsy-Turvy Journey of Widowhood

Abstract

Widowhood is considered as a curse in patriarchal Indian society. Widows are subjected to adhere strict rules and regulations which indicates towards their restrained life and exploitation. They were deprived of all kinds of rights and privileges and forced to live a life of deprivation. Widows are socially, economically, culturally exploited, they are in fact treated as an outcast. English Literature represents various examples to expose the deplorable and pathetic plight of widows starting from Tagore's Sati, Bapsi Sidhwa's Water to Indira Goswami's Blue Necked God and many more present the vulnerable status of widows. The paper tries to explore the plight of widows through Water and Blue Necked God which presents Widowhood as a curse inflicted upon womankind and irrespective of the age they are treated inhumanly and forced to live a restrained isolated life.