A mother getting her son married off is quite common. Have we heard of a son getting his mother married off? Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. This did happen on January 23rd in Maharashtra at Kolhapur. Leading newspapers covered the news and hailed the silent revolution. We rarely come across
such peculiar events. 23 year old Yuvaraj of Kolhapur was just 18 when his father was killed in a tragic
road accident. The old generation relatives of the family were highly conservative, soaked in traditional beliefs and outdated customs. They isolated the widowed mother Rathna and almost quarantined her in society. Yuvaraj was terribly upset by the plight of his mother.
He planned for her remarriage despite severe protest of the relatives. When she was refused invitations to family functions and other events, he
determined to get her tears wiped off forever. Her loneliness agonized him. With great difficulty he persuaded Rathna and got
her consent for her remarriage. By vigorous hunt with friends and well wishers Yuvaraj met a middle aged bachelor Maruti Kanvat and conveyed his wish to
bring about a change in his mother’s life. Maruti met Rathna and had a free, frank and plain talk with her. He liked her and
agreed to share her life.
Rathna was a 20 year old girl when she got married. Her married life was 25years long. She was 45 when she lost her husband. She had never ever thought
of remarriage since she was bound by the memories of her husband. Her son’s
persuasion and her introspection at last convinced her to remarry. She married Maruti on 23rd January 2023. Maharashtra is the land of social
revolutionaries Jothiba Phule and Savitribai Phule. Kolhapur was once ruled by Sahu Maharaj who belonged to the ancestry of Shivaji. Besides those
social reformers, Periyar and Ambedkar had made an impact that is proved by this remarriage.
A widower could easily remarry but there had been a taboo on a widow’s remarriage. It has been smashed by Yuvaraj who made his mother turn a new leaf in her life. This is an instance of gender justice and social justice too. It would not be an exaggeration to call it a self respect remarriage caused by a
truly rationalist outlook. Besides violent revolutions, such silent revolutions would also script history, won’t they?
