Vrindavan widows attend national seminar in Varanasi

February 17, 2014 - India’s temple town of Varanasi on Sunday witnessed an unusual sight as some of the abandoned widows from Vrindavan were brought there by an NGO for an event at the prestigious Banaras Hindu University. The group of widows from Vrindavan arrived in Varanasi to participate in a national seminar on the condition of widows, organized by Sulabh International. The poignant atmosphere gave the widows, mostly in their 80s, an opportunity to share their joys and sorrows with each other. "It's a lifetime experience for us," said Manu Ghosh, in her eighties, recalling how she and a dozen others enjoyed a flight to Varanasi. They took a holy dip in the Ganga and offered prayers at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple. They also visited Nepali and Birla ashrams and took part in kirtans.

Founded in 1970, Sulabh International is an India-based social service organization which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education. It has adopted around 1,500 widows living in various ashrams in Varanasi and Vrindavan. The NGO also provides them Rs 2,000 per month for their expenses besides taking care of their health and other requirements like TV and singing of kirtans among others.

Vrindavan which is linked with Lord Krishna, is also known as the City of Widows. According to some Hindu traditions, widows may not remarry, so many of those abandoned by their families on the death of their husband make their way to Vrindavan, where they struggle to survive, living on charity.