Cover
The Symbolic Colour Red
The all-powerful colour red that symbolizes Saubhagya or good luck in the Hindu context makes a distinction between the 'haves' and 'have-nuts' among women.
Upon her husband's demise, the Hindu widow is supposed to discard everything that is red. The red Tika, red Sindoor and red coloured clothes which she used to proudly wear are taken away from her. She is made to stand out in a crowd — a subject of pity, the 'unfortunate bidhawa'.