Marching in the Dark

When her husband – a rural Indian farmer who faced enormous pressures – dies by suicide, Sanjivani struggles to overcome traditional social stigmas attached to widowhood in her community. In a local support group for widows, she embarks upon a transformative journey of discovery.

Sanjivani, a young widow in rural India, grapples with devastating loss. Her husband was a farmer who succumbed to the pressures of rising costs, unyielding crop failures, and volatile market prices – and one of thousands each year in India’s agriculture sectors who see no other way out than to take their own life. Now absorbed into her brother-in-law’s family, Sanjivani and her two children struggle to be seen and respected. She cautiously joins a local support group for widows-only, despite having to fabricate excuses to her brother-in-law to explain her absence.

Initially cautious and reserved, Sanjivani is slowly drawn in to the healing power of community. Her own grief begins to heal as she focuses on the others instead of herself. When she summons the courage to unveil her own story, Sanjivani finds inspiration in their shared resilience and empowerment forged from their common experiences. ‘If you surrender,’ she says, ‘who will your kids look up to?’