Re: in India, this woman would be considered a WIDOW!
probably, you have not visited UP and Bihar etc…may be in the south it’s different…as far as shaving head is concerned, i think it’s more of a marvaRii tradition because i have never ever seen a widow shaving her head in my part of India.
in Allahabad, during the Kumbh Melas, i used to see those MarwaRii men and women with their heads shaven and , i dunno why and what for, they all carried a wickers basket with lid [dunno what was inside] and a petal [brass] pot hinging from a thread. i dunno if these are religious requirements.
it could be a regional thing! 