After Varanasi, elderly widows from Mathura are getting the opportunity to celebrate this Raksha Bandhan in a special way—they will send handcrafted rakhis and sweets to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is a part of an effort tobring Indian widows—who have been ostracised for ages and kept away from festivals and other celebrations— into mainstream society. Thousands of elderly widows, mostly in their 80s, hailing from various parts of the country started making special rakhis around 20 days ago, using flowers and other decorative material, for the festival that celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters.
They will hand over these rakhis to social worker Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of NGO Sulabh International, on August 9. He will in turn present them to the Prime minister on Raksha Bandhan day. Widows still face humiliation and insults from their family members. They are even restricted from attending the auspicious functions held in their families. They are not allowed to wear colourful saris or ornaments and have to wear only white clothes, Pathak said. Pathak's NGO Sulabh International is helping improve the lives of around 1,500 such women in Varanasi, Vrindavan and the Kedarnath Valley.
Around 200 children from various schools of Delhi and Mathura-Vrindavan will take part in rakhi celebrations, which will be organised at Meera Sahabhagini Ashram on 9th August 2014. The widows will also tie rakhis to local saints and Brahmins.Breaking the shackles of social stigma, these women had taken part in Holi, Diwali and Durga Puja celebrations following the NGO's efforts.
Sulabh International, an NGO known worldwide for promoting low-cost sanitation, started initiatives for the welfare of widows after the Supreme Court took strong exception last year to the manner in which the bodies of widows, who lived in government shelter homes at Vrindavan, were disposed. Every widow is given 2,000 per month by the NGO, which takes care of their health and other needs. The NGO has provided government run shelters in Vrindavan with five ambulances as well as medical equipment for timely and adequate medical attention.
—PTI
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