WINDOW ON WIDOWS

Earlier also I had put some posts in my blog regarding the pathetic life of widows who were rejected by their own near and dear and are compelled to live on the mercy of pilgrims in Varanasi and Vrindavan. Once again I am touching upon this topic because june 23 has been decided to be observesd as the World Widow Day. On this occasion a function was organized in the Press Club, new Delhi. Of course the guiding force was none else than the famous socio-sanitational movement leader, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak at whose initiative, the problem of these ladies could be brought before the society. All of them are mothers of their children, some of them engaged in lucrative jobs. Imagine about such men who not only ill treated their mothers but also chased away from the family house which happened to be the property of these ladies. Utterly neglected these ladies, just on the verge of begging, have been living in a wretched condition. They sing bhajans in the temples of Varanasi and Vridavan and get hardly one time food in a day. Sociologists have comparatively found that the Devdasis of the temples in the South are also subjected to the same neglect and exploitation. Did any individual or political party come forward to improve their life conditions? While the people of different castes and religions are resorting to violent agitations to secure reservation in jobs, nobody thinks it necessary to have a similar facility for the widows also. Only the Sulabh has seriously taken up their cause. It is giving them Rs 2,000/- per month as stipend. There is a proper arrangement for their medical needs. They are being given vocational training so that they engage themselves in income-generating activities. With this support, the helpless women who were waiting for the death, are full of energy and long to live. They are celebrationg all traditional festivals like Holi, Diwali etc. In the Press Club function they decided to approach the new government to pass some law for their honourable living. I wish, we fence sitters should also come forward, lending a helping hand in their mission.