While talking about law and homosexuality, I am reminded of a story of a washerman and his donkey. The donkey refused to move with the heavy bundle of clothes on his back from his house to the pond. The washerman nailed a carrot to a stick, which was tied in front of the animal's mouth.

Legal reforms have been at the centre of the agenda for strategizing gender justice in India. This has been so, right from the time of nine-teenth century social reforms movements, through the period of nationalist struggles, down to the contemporary women's movement.

The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956, is an Indian law that governs the legal process of adoption and the maintenance obligations within Hindu families.

The Hindu Widows Remarriage and Property Act, 1989, represents a significant legislative reform aimed at improving the social and economic status of Hindu widows in India.