Description
This paper looks at the narratives around war widows in India and the construction of the glorified and self-sacrificing "Veer Naris" (Warrior Women). Feminist scholars have been arguing for long that militaries and militarism cannot sustain without the control of women and notions of ideal femininity. The construct of Widowhood have recieved relatively less attention by Feminist Scholars. This study critically analyses the construction of the ideal narrative of "Veer Naris" that inevitably leads to the militarization of the Indian war widows. The paper explores how the state controls the Indian war widows and their associated narratives for militaristic purposes. What are the implications of this co-option of their trauma and suffering through the state-driven narrative of "Veer Nari"? How does this glorified narrative of the self-sacrificing warrior women contrast with their lived realities? What roles do these narrative plays in the context of the Indian military? War widows do not constitute a homogeneous group; these women are divided along the lines of caste, class and religion. Some war widows join the military, and others do not. The paper analyses state policies of compensation, welfare and recognition of war widows and print media narratives to deconstruct the narrative of war widows as "Veer Nari".
