Dr NB Jayaprakash with two elderly widows from Ghathaon, Odisha
BENGALURU:Despite awareness building and education on the rise on women’s rights, one section of society that still suffers silently is widowed women, who continue to be at the receiving end of societal stigmas and biases. Sunday is International Widows Day, and Parihaar Foundation, which has been working towards the social, economic and personal upliftment of rural, widowed women, has put together a series of events and future plans for their cause. Founded by Dr NB Jayaprakash, the organisation works alongside Parivartana Foundation, which focuses on widow-remarriage.
Speaking to CE, Dr Jayaprakash sheds light on various issues related to the cause, as well as Sunday’s event, which will commence with the launch of two new programmes by the foundation. Mithara – meaning nutritious diet in Sanskrit – will focus on distributing provisions to the families of widows, with the aim to supplying 500 families per month. The second is Aarogya Siri – which will focus on conducting free health camps for widowed women across the state. A panel discussion on the issues faced by divorcees, another group the foundation supports, will highlight the ‘suspicion’ divorced women face from society, says Dr Jayaprakash.
Another highlight will be a session with Gokulnanda Ojha, whose NGO – India Development Project - works with tribals from Ghathaon, Odisha. “This village is home to 300 widowed women, whose husbands expired due to working in mining and malnutrition. Without easy access to the nearest town to collect their meager pension of `200, these women suffer in poverty and alone, as their children have migrated in search of jobs,” says Dr Jayaprakash, adding, “Parihaar’s intention is to provide `5,000 for every ten women a month, engage them in agriculture and other activities, as well as try and create a self-banking of sorts where they can access their pension without having to travel for kilometres each month.”
Happily-ever-afters
Dr Jayaprakash tells us that on Sunday, he will also be announcing the launch of Parihaarmatch.com, a matrimonial digital platform for widowed women, and divorced men and women. He believes that the lives of widows in the south are better than the disrespect and humiliation widows face up north, especially in states such as Rajasthan, and hopes to open Parihaar centres in other states, as well as make the website nationalised.
He says that since 2007, six-seven widows have gotten married, and though that is not part of the foundation’s agenda, it has lead to happier times for these women. Narrating an incident, Dr Jayaprakash says, “Ramachandriah, a medical officer, and his wife, lost their son to a disease, after which their daughter-in-law took the grandchildren and left. Their daughter killed herself, and left behind a child, whom the old couple were taking care of. Once Ramachandriah’s wife passed, he was left alone at 67 to care for the young girl, and as she grew, this became increasingly challenging for him.”
“Ramachandriah sought help from well-wishers, but there was only so much time others could dedicate. He then approached me to help find him someone, when I thought of a widow from Bidar, who had been cheated of her pension by her brother and was in search of work in the city,” he says, adding that the couple clicked and they got married in a simple function. Dr Jayaprakash stresses that matches such as this one are only made once there is consent, approval and dialogue between the individuals.
For details on Sunday’s event, taking place at RV Teachers College, Jayanagar, contact on 9538853194.
