Returning their dignity, in life and in death.
For a nation that prides
itself on being called ‘Bharat Mata’ our treatment of women in general and
widows in particular is rather appalling. An outsider wouldn’t be faulted for
thinking that the Indian mindset was inherently misogynistic and therefore, maltreatment
and widows was a subset of this widely held belief. In Vrindavan, famed for
being the land of Lord Krishna, the incredibly pathetic treatment of widows
spurred positive action from a woman, who today is seen as their friend,
saviour and in many cases, their protector.
Image Source: gotravelaz.com
Dr. Laxmi Gautam has been a
professor of Ancient Indian Culture and History at the ‘Institute of Oriental
Philosophy’. Every morning she sets out on the streets of Vrindavan, in search
of abandoned widows who need care and nurturing. Some days she even finds
widows who have died in the streets, with no one to perform their last rites.
The inequity is shameful, and not something Dr. Gautam could stand for, which
is why for nearly four decades her NGO, Kanak Dhara Foundation, has been rehabilitating,
repatriating and even giving the widows of Vrindavan a dignified life and even
(in some cases) a fitting farewell.
Image Source:
c4n.in
The widows of Vrindavan now have a glimmer of hope in an otherwise
dreary and bleak existence, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Laxmi Gautam and the
Kanak Dhara Foundation. Dr. Gautam was feted with the Nari Shakti Puraskar, by the President of India, Dr. Pranab Mukherjee in
2015 on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
Image Source: dnaindia.com
A pioneer and a #TrueDiamond in every sense of the word.
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