A recent death of a gram panchayat official in Nashik's tribal taluka Surgana sparked a historic change. When his last rites were announced, the family decided not to follow the age-old custom of humiliating the widow by removing her vermillion, bangles, toe rings, and mangalsutra. "In consonance with the idea of maintaining the dignity of our women, it was decided that the evil tradition of wiping away of vermillion, removal of bangles, toe rings and mangalsutra will not be followed," stated the message circulated among villagers. This marked a first step in breaking such harmful traditions. For centuries, many rural parts of Maharashtra have forced widows to remove symbols of marriage, causing social humiliation. In response, 915 villages in Nashik district have passed resolutions to stop such practices. Additionally, over 1,100 couples have signed a ₹100 bond affidavit named ‘Saubhagyache Shapathpatra’ pledging to protect their spouses from these traditions after death. The affidavit declares, "We follow the progressive ideas of Mahatma Phule and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar... We pledge that we will not follow any such evil traditions. We will work to spread social awareness against them. We will not impose anything on women against their own will." In Sinnar village Gulwanch alone, 250 affidavits have been signed. Schoolchildren perform street plays to raise awareness and encourage families to join the cause. A woman from Chandshi expressed strong support, saying, "Don’t let anyone remove these ornaments. There should be a law against it. As women, we are in full support of this move," as widows were honored with roses by the gram panchayat. This progressive effort is part of the Navchetana programme led by Nashik Zilla Parishad since three months. It fights widow discrimination through social awareness, workshops, loans, and education opportunities. Omkar Pawar, CEO of Nashik Zilla Parishad, said, "Maharashtra is a progressive State which has always been at the forefront of social reforms. These practices not only strip the women of their dignity, they also make them feel inferior... We organise ‘haldi-kunku’ programmes to ensure no social discrimination against widows."