The report, "Dimensions of Deprivation: Study on the Poverty Levels of Widows", said that nearly 72% of the 500 widows interviewed, ate a balanced meal of rice, chapati, dal and vegetables thrice a day. The rest had meals twice a day.

 The report which has been put together by voluntary organization Guild of Service with the support of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem), studied the condition of widows in Uttar Pradesh's Vrindavan, Radhakund, Govardhan, Gokul and Barsana towns.

 The report found that 83% of the widows earned between `200-1,000 a month from various sources like charity, pension, tailoring and candle making. Most of the money was spent on food, medicines, rent, clothes and prayers.

 They hardly get any help from their families, said the report.

 One of the biggest problems that the widows faced, the study found, was that of sanitation. About 40% of the widows said that they have no access to toilets.

"In fact 40% squatted in open fields and about 14% of the widows squatted over street drains to relieve themselves. Though most widows did have water to wash themselves after using the toilet, just 68% have soap to clean their hands," the report said.

An interesting finding of the study was that most widows were found to be veering away from traditional beliefs in terms of what widows should wear and eat.

"They don't believe in tonsuring their heads and some of the younger widows seem open to the idea of remarriage although most don't say it openly," the study said.

The study found that a chunk of the widows- 66% - were married before they reached the age of 15. About 26% were married between the age of 15-17 and only 5.5% were above the age of 18 at the time of marriage.