My first visit to Vrindavan opened my eyes to a social custom that is particularly prevalent in West Bengal and Orissa. Traditionally, as soon as a woman’s husband, she has to deal with a second bitter reality – losing her identity, her family, and her home. She becomes an untouchable such that she cannot be part of any social event or ceremony in the family or community. In many cases, the widow is brought and left in a state of destitution to beg and fend for herself in Vrindavan and Varanasi. Why Vrindavan? Because it is the home of Krishna, and in the minds of these women, he will be their savior. The widows believe that by singing hymns in his praise they will get salvation from the karma of life and death.
I was left stunned by the sheer misery and the state of their health. Their faces haunted me for weeks thereafter. The women were fighting for survival without any energy. The frail women were getting pulled and pushed for a handful of grain and dal. It was the utmost indignity to which a human can be subjected. I spoke with my husband, General Bhopinder, who was also consumed by the thought as to what we could do to bring these widows respect and dignity.
With the germination of this idea and the support of Ashok Jolly, our Maitri Board Members, Ulf and Joe, we decided to put a nutrition and health program in place. It took brainstorming and plenty of hard work by Maitri staff, Silky, Anita, and Captain Anant Ram; Maitri interns, Jeevan, Chelsea, and Suneil; and Maitri volunteers, Jillie and Hannah. On 4th of July, we finally saw the program launched.
What a delight it was to see the happiness on the women’s faces when they got a fully cooked, nutritious meal – rice, dal, vegetable, and halwa – for the first time in probably months and years. At the same time, I was sad to hear the doubt in their voices, as they feared this was probably a one-time donation. After repeated assurances from our team that this program would be continuous, they broke out in a song and dance. They sang in praise of Krishna that they would now have a proper meal every day. Life would be a bit better.
In addition to the mid-day meals, Maitri is providing the widow mothers with other services such as health camps, medicines, clothing, and advocacy. On the 4th of July, Maitri organized a health camp with a few doctors who did checkups with the widows and gave them essential medicines. Many of the widows are infirm, and bone diseases are a common issue. Maitri gave each widow daily multivitamins and supplements, including calcium, folic acid, and Vitamin C.
I hope we can make the widows happier by providing them with nutritious meals and other essential services. All that they want is respect, dignity, love, and caring. It is not too much to ask. As they say, Krishna will take care, and I hope he does.
--Winnie Singh
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