marriage. 71
lims, divorce is relatively rare, but it does occur, and remarriage is usually easy. In
educated urban Hindu circles, divorce is almost unthinkable; but among tribals and
low-status Hindus and Muslims, it is not uncommon, and scandalous elopements oc-
casionally take place. In any case, a second marriage for a woman never involves the
elaborate ceremonies of the first wedding but may simply entail setting up house
with a new man.
During past centuries, very high castes prohibited widow remarriage, and a
widow was sometimes expected to immolate herself on her husband ’s funeral pyre.
This practice, known as sati, occurred in only a very small percentage of families
and was legally abolished over a century ago. Rajputs remember with pride the
jauhar, the rite in which the widows of warriors slain in battle died in a communal
funeral pyre. Today, reports ofsatis appear in North Indian newspapers once or
twice a year.
In the past, a widow was sometimes treated harshly, since the death of her hus-
band was thought to be punishment for her misdeeds in a previous life. However,
widows of lower-ranking castes have always been allowed to remarry. Under Indian
law today, any woman may divorce her husband for certain causes, and any widow
can remarry, but considerations of property and social acceptability rather than le-
gality usually determine whether or not a woman seeks a divorce or remarriage.
Among Hindu villagers, a widow who remarries customarily loses her rights in her
husband ’s land. If she has young sons, a widow usually remains unmarried in order
to protect her children’s right to their patrimony.
In North and Central India, monogamy is generally practiced. Hindus may
legally have only one wife, but Muslims are allowed four wives under both Indian
and Muslim law. Village Hindus, whose marriages are seldom registered with legal
authorities, occasionally take two or three wives, and the women of some Hi-
malayan groups have several husbands.^5 Wealthy Muslim men occasionally avail
themselves of their legal limit, but most cannot afford to do so. When Yusuf Miya,
a Bhopal man, wanted to marry a second time, his wife spoke of suicide, and the
matter was dropped. Some women, particularly those who have borne no children,
do not openly object to having a co-wife. In Nimkhera, one untouchable sweeper
man has four wives, all of whom contribute to his support.
Munni spent three more years in the bosom of her family, happily taking part in
household and agricultural work and enjoying the frequent festivals observed in the
village. Not long after her wedding, she went with her brothers and father to a fair
in the district market center, where they watched the Ram Lila, a religious drama,
and bought trinkets in the bazaar.