BEYOND BULLET: HIDDEN BATTLES OF INDIAN WAR WIDOWS

“If men were the principal casualties of the War, these widows represent its, collateral damage”

- Author and historian Ed Payne.

India has the highest number of war widows in the world. There is no other group affected by the inhumanities of war than widows. This heroic nature of the death of martyrs leads the entire nation and media to speak about the glory of these men who lost their lives on the battlefield but these atrocities of war leave lifelong devastating effects on war widows. This paper aims to capture the struggle of these women wrapped in glorified widowhood. However, this glory quickly fades as the war widows are forgotten and left to fight their own battles. The author is also a war widow and that is how she has attempted to understand different trajectories of the grieving process widows go through in their lives. The journey of rebuilding their lives is a dynamic process, and it is influenced by social economic factors, especially in the context of India as women are subjected to stereotypical expectations, especially from the lens of gender, where despite their trauma they are compelled to perform duties as a daughter-in-law, mother, and widow where they often struggle to give priority to their own mental and physical health. In some cases, families, friends, and the military support mechanisms. Above all, these women rise on their own to rebuild their lives between pride and pain. This study also sheds some light on both challenges and positive factors towards recovery experienced by widows to achieve the holistic way of life on their own.