Vrindavan widows to celebrate Christmas

Sulabh International founder and chairman Pathak has been bringing cheer to the lives of widows, breaking traditional taboo. Widows are traditionally considered inauspicious, kept away from such occasions as wedding celebrations, and prescribed a quiet life, dressed in plain, often white, clothes.

Ever since the Supreme Court entrusted Sulabh International, previously known for its low-cost sanitation initiatives, the task of bettering the plight of widows, Pathak has been personally supervising and monitoring the living conditions in ashrams and taking care of the women's health and medical needs.

The widows are taking tuitions in learning languages. Arrangements have been made to impart education to the widows in three languages -- Hindi, Bengali and English. Teachers have been appointed for the purpose.

Sulabh International also gives every widow a pension of Rs.2,000 per month, and also organises entertainment for them, in the form of sessions for singing devotional songs. They have also been provided television sets with satellite connection, so they can watch serials of their choice.

The NGO has also provided the government-run widow shelters in Vrindavan five well-equipped ambulances, along with medical equipment for providing timely and adequate medical attention.

Regular medical check-ups are conducted, and dentists and ophthalmologists routinely examine the widows. Sulabh has also arranged for dignified cremation with proper rituals, when a widow dies.

The Supreme Court, in August last year, hearing a plea seeking improvement in the living conditions of widows, expressed shock that the bodies of the old women were disposed of after being cut to pieces and packed in gunny bags.