Caste System And Rights Of Widows With Reference To The Book ‘The Last Color’ By Vikas Khanna

Gayathri Hemanth, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad

ABSTRACT

This project will focus on the issues of rights of widows as well as casteism and its prevalence and evolution in our society and laws related to these issues that are there to protect the lesser privileged. The book ‘The Last Color’ written by Vikas Khanna, focuses on a story that showcases both casteism and widow rights and the hardships faced by them on a daily basis. The story talks about an orphan lower caste girl who is a tight rope walker and an unlikely friendship she develops with an elderly widow named Noor on the banks of river Ganga in Varanasi. Both being considered impure and degraded, are ostracized by society and face persecution and several hardships, both at the hands of the common people as well as the police officers whose duty it is to protect their rights. The little orphan is seen to be doing all sorts of odd jobs in order to earn a living to be able to afford her fees for school. The old widow is bound by several rigid and regressive laws and is not allowed to be adorned in coloured clothes and yearns to play with colours on Holi. The little girl’s promise to add colour to Noor’s life brings them closer and this in turn blossoms into a beautiful bond. The story portrays the struggles of the lower caste to get access to universal education as well as a widow’s quest for securing her rights. It showcases the power dynamics in the society in a very apt manner and sheds light on police brutality as well. Thus, this research focuses on casteism and widow rights and their predicament through these years. The research aims to analyse previous laws and rights of both widows as well as lower caste people along with their current laws, and come to a proper conclusion.