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| Related Articles: Girls Who Become Invisible Widows http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/b2885f6fe91747b687256920004c0c34!OpenDocument&Highlight=0 ******************************************************************************** Editorial Advani's audacity Calcutta on the Net http://www.calonline.com/Feb00/11Feb00.html Union Minister for Home Affairs, LK Advani, has taken up unilaterally the decision to advise the noted film-maker, Deepa Mehta, what the latter should do prior to outdoor shooting of her new film, Water, at Varanasi. Nobody, leave alone Mehta, asked Advani to suggest how to get out of the imbroglio following the calculated move by the Hindu obscurantists to prevent the shooting. Advani has stated that Mehta should speak to the people of Varanasi or Kashi first. But he is unconcerned about the hooliganism, let loose, by the so-called self-styled guardian of the people of Varanasi and around, Kashi Sanskriti Raksha Sangharsh Samiti, nor has he the guts to refute the findings of reports about the plight of Hindu widows in Varanasi or Vrindavan. Deepa Vanot in her report on the widows of Vrindavan to the National Council for Women in 1996 wrote: " The tiny rooms that they live in are so filthy that one can see insects crawling around. No sanitation, electricity or water is provided, but there are instances of 8-10 women sharing a room in order to afford the rent". Landlords, Vanot noted, demand exorbitant deposits before renting out the rooms and these landlords are patrons of Hindu religious bodies there. She went on to add that "women below the age of 50 face sexual harassment at the hands of rickshaw-pullers, shopkeepers, landlords, tourists, the staff at ashrams, home guards, politicians and even the police." Sangh Parivar outfits like Vishwa Hindu Parishad or KSRSS is not bothered about the ritual of humiliation of hapless Hindu widows, although VHP general secretary, Ashok Singhal vowed to stop the shooting of Water. Advani, wrote Nirad C Chaudhuri, does not know who wrote Malavikagnimitram but talks of Hindutva. Those who are aware of the acid tongue of the late Niradbabu, one of the greatest writers in English literature in his lifetime, would not have been astonished if he had described our revered Home Minister as a pompous ass. Noted actor of Hindi cinema, Shatrughan Sinha, an MP of the Bharatiya Janata Party, one of whose top leaders is Advani, said very lo gically that there could be no reason to obstruct shooting of a film after it was okayed by the concerned ministry. At the same time, Adoor Gopalkrishnan, is critical of what he described as "fashionably sensational subjects" that Mehta chooses. But he never suggested that the shooting be stopped. Singhal alleges that the film is backed by the U.S.Church but he is yet to prove it with evidence. Jingoism is being sold out as Hinduism. Are we to take such acts as advance signals for Fascism-in-the waiting? ********************************** Tribune The widows of Brindavan and Varanasi By T. V. Rajeswar WILLIAM BENTINCK and Ram Mohan Roy were instrumental in banning the cruel Hindu ritual of sati or the burning of widows on the funeral pyre with husbands in 1828. That sati still prevails in some form or the other in the backwoods of Rajasthan is a different story. As for the widows of Bengal, the banning of sati 170 years ago has not ended their misery even today since a large number of them are experiencing living death in the choultries and dharamshalas in the lanes and alleys of Brindavan, Mathura and Varanasi. It is a sad story which people would not like to be reminded of but these stark realities stare them in their face. In the late 1970s a social activist from Calcutta, accompanied by his wife, visited Brindavan to look into the lives of the large number of widows living there. The majority of the widows residing in the various dharamshalas were found to be from West Bengal. The management of the dharamshalas were in the hands of a few persons who received donations from the public as well as from the government but most of it was misappropriated by them. The widows were asked to make cotton wicks for sale and also attend to the various household chores before they were provided with two meals a day. Their presence at the evening prayer was compulsory. Very few of them were still receiving financial assistance from their kith and kin in West Bengal and most of the widows were completely at the mercy of the management of the dharamshalas. The widows were closely watched and not allowed to interact with the visitors. Despite these restrictions, some of the widows were contacted and their stories ascertained. Most of them were to a pattern in that they were encouraged, soon after they become widows, to proceed and settle down in Varanasi or Brindavan and they were promised regular financial remittances so that their requirements could be taken care of. Invariably these remittances dried up and totally stopped after some time ranging from six months to a year. As for their kith and kin in Calcutta and some of the moffusil towns from where the widows migrated, they had all but ceased to exist and not considered their responsibility anymore. It is a sad state of social irresponsibility and indeed tantamount to culpable criminal negligence. Unfortunately, the several social organisations and even the state machinery failed to take note of the situation and initiate appropriate remedial measures. In the mid 1950s West Bengal had enacted the Hindu Widows Maintenance and Adoption Act and the cause of the widows were taken up by the Legal Aid Services of West Bengal. This, however, was not a sustained effort. Again, in the early 1990s a three-member team headed by a sitting Judge went on a fact-finding mission to Varanasi and the report created a storm. When I was Governor, West Bengal, in 1989-90 a meeting of the various social organisations was convened at the Raj Bhavan and I was able to secure the services of two well-known social workers of Bengal, Renuka Roy and Dr Roma Chaudhury. An umbrella body of social organisations under the name of Shanti Vishram was formed with the two ladies as President and Vice-President, respectively. A well-known social activist, Rusi Gimi, became its General Secretary. Some of the women activists of the social organisations who had first-hand knowledge of happenings in Varanasi and Brindavan gave their account. It was decided, at the meeting of Shanti Vishram on Novem ber 29, 1989, that a team of ladies should visit Brindavan, Mathura and Varanasi and make a thorough study and submit a report for follow-up action. Meanwhile, steps were initiated to arrange accommodation with the help of the state government for accommodating the widows who could be repatriated from the pilgrim centres and various measures for rehabilitating them in those shelters were also discussed. This was necessary since most of the rescued were either unwilling to return to their homes or their own kith and kin were not willing to take them back. The question of enhancing the state pension for widows was also taken up with the State Government. It was found that there was a provision for widows? pension but they were not being paid to the widows in Brindavan and Varanasi due to various technical objections. I left West Bengal in February, 1990, and regretfully all the three office-bearers, Renuka Roy, Roma Chaudhury and Rusi Gimi, had passed away since then. The activities of Shanti Vishram are not known since then. It is clear, however, that nothing much has changed insofar as the fate of the Bengal widows in the pilgrim centres is concerned. According to the 1991 government census, India had the largest number of widows in the world, numbering 33 million. A survey conducted by the National Commission for Women on the state of affairs in the pilgrim centres showed that the widows were living in inhuman conditions and some of the older ones were reduced to begging since the food given to them was not adequate to fill their stomach. The younger widows were exploited and recruited to the flesh trade. It should be said to the credit of the National Human Rights Commission as well as the National Commission for Women that they had taken the cause of the widows with firmness and persistence. According to the NCW ther e were about 15,000 widows living in Mathura and Brindavan and possibly a similar number in Varanasi as well. The Central Government pension of Rs 100 per mensem to all women above 60 years of age, who were without any sustenance, was not being paid to them in the pilgrim centres. The Department of Women and Child Development of the Human Resource Development Ministry reportedly wrote to the Government of West Bengal recently to stop the persisting trend of widows being sent away to the pilgrim centres for permanent residence. In their recent report the Department had said that West Bengal had conceded that no survey was made by them or by any other agency though this was not quite correct insofar as non-governmental agencies were concerned. It nevertheless shows the abject apathy on the part of the Government of West Bengal, and more than the government, the people of Bengal, towards this tragic lot of widows leading a humiliating life in the pilgrim centres of Uttar Pradesh. The Department had reportedly urged that the pension money for widows, which was said to be Rs 300 per mensem, should be increased. More than the increase it had to be ensured that this money was actually paid, along with whatever the Central Government pension for those aged women. More importantly the question of repatriation of these widows from these pilgrim centres and their rehabilitation in their native environment so as to enable them to live a decent and honourable life should be pursued. It is indeed sad that Bengal which worships Mother Goddess as the primordial deity should have turned a blind eye to such glaring inequities. The worship of Mother had been a time honoured and celebrated tradition as well as an entrenched religious practice in Bengal. Puja is celebrated with gay abandon every year. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote the Vande Mataram poem which appeared in his novel Ananda Math at the turn of the century. Its English translation appeared in the Statesman of Calcutta on October 20, 1905. It begins with the sentence ?Hail Mother?, and ends with "Mother, Mother, Hail". It was in praise and worship of Mother Goddess Durga and indirectly the Bharat Mata which explained Vande Mataram becoming a much-hailed national slogan. That the song was in praise of Mother Goddess showed the high pedestal in which the Mother was placed and revered. On the other hand, the manner in which Bengal treated its unfortunate mothers who became widows in another story and yet another illustration how India and its people are notorious for their hypocrisy and the ocean of difference between their precept and practice. ********************************** Real widows are worse off than reel widows of Deepa Mehta Sutapa Mukerjee http://www.indianreporter.com/ir_new/editorial/opinion_20000218_03.htm VARANASI - On the banks of India?s holiest river, a film company is trying to capture the heartbreak of being a widow in the 1930s in a project that has stirred outraged accusations that the movie insults Hindu tradition.But just a few feet from the set is a dingy shelter for widows where reality is far more pathetic than anything that will appear in producer Deepa Mehta's film, Water. Life seems to stand still in the dim light where eight women sit listlessly, often staring blankly at the peeling walls. In a corner of the room is a small Hindu shrine where they recite their daily prayers, seeking salvation from their misery. Right-wing activists blocked the shooting of the film even though the Canadian-Indian producer and director has approval from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee?s government after making several script changes.Ashok Singhal, leader of the Hindu World Council, said, "[The film] smacks of the conspiracy by the votaries of Western culture to tarnish the image of widowhood in India." But some social workers say the plight of widows represents the worst form of discrimination against women in India, deeply bound in ancient and unshakable tradition. Superstitious families say widows are bad luck, and blame them for the death of their husbands. Furthermore, Hindus frown on remarriage for women, although there are no social barriers for men.Like many widows, Vibha was shunned and abandoned by her in-laws when her husband was killed two years ago in a road accident. Vibha, who uses one name, ceased being a part of her own family when she married. At 40, and with two children, she had no place to go. She drifted to Varanasi, an ancient holy city, where she found refuge with other widows in the basement of the Ganapathi Guest House on the Ganges River. "Once I became a widow, no one cared about me at home," she said. At the Ganapathi, meat, onions, or garlic are banned, in the belief these foods create heat and arouse sexual desire. The widows' hair is kept close-cropped and their heads are covered in public. They sleep together on a single threadbare rug in the single large room. Dingy white saris, their only change of clothing, hang on a washing line outside. There is no electricity, no running water. The owner of the guest house provides dry rice or flour for two meals a day as an act of charity. The two floors above are rented to tourists or pilgrims who come to wash away their sins in the holy Ganges. Most of the women are in their 60s or 70s. Some work as domestics to supplement the meager food. Others beg on the bathing ghats, the steps leading to the river where devout Hindus say devotions. Years ago, they filled out forms to receive a widow's pension from the government of about 400 rupees per month?less than $10. But no money ever came and the women are convinced it is stolen by corrupt officials. "When widows are actually going through such painful experiences here, why are people cursing Deepa Mehta?s film?" asked Amitabh Bhattacharya, a Varanasi journalist. Before the first frame was shot of Mehta's film, a mob of 500 demonstrators ransacked the set on Jan. 30. The film unit abandoned shooting after a protester tried to commit suicide by jumping into the Ganges River. The state government in a written order asked them to leave Varanasi for fear of violence from Hindu nationalists who say the film is offensive to Hinduism. Deepa Mehta, director of the film, told reporters in New Delhi that she would like to shoot the film in India and would choose another location in a day or two. "I am a victim. The script was cleared by the federal government and even local religions leaders," said Mehta. "There was a conspiracy which has more to do with politics than filmmaking." She said a top state bureaucrat, Rakesh Manjul, had threatened to disrupt the film shooting after she rejected his request for film distribution rights for India?s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, where Varanasi is located. Manjul was not immediately available for comment. Mehta denies the film is anti-Hindu. Without disclosing the script, she says the film revolves around a young widow who defies the social stigma of widowhood and seeks to lead a normal life. Shabana Azmi, one of India's leading actresses and a member of India's Parliament, shaved her head, and rising star Nandita Das cropped her long hair to portray outcast widows. It is the third in a Mehta's trilogy about women in Indian society. Her second film, Fire, was pulled from some theaters after violent protests. It tells the story of two sisters-in-law who turn to each other for comfort in a dysfunctional joint family and have a lesbian relationship. Nageena Tiwari, a 70-year-old widow who has lived in the Ganapathi for 24 years, wondered what was wrong with Mehta's latest film. "Are we any different from those women [in the film]? We just live like they do. What kind of a life is this? We are somehow just living through each day," she told the Associated Press. |
