Vrindavan, 2015.11.11 (PTI): Around 1,000 elderly Vrindavan widows started a two-day Diwali celebration today on the bank of river Yamuna and five of their ashrams in Vrindavan.
The widows decorated their ashrams with rangoli and lights, and carried a procession with earthen lamps on the river bank, congregating at Keshi Ghat.
The ashrams, where Sulabh International provides assistance, have been spruced up to match the occasion.
“With an aim to bring a ray of happiness in their lives, we have come up with this unique idea to organise the festival of lights, especially for the widows,” the social reformer and founder of Sulabh, Bindeshwar Pathak, said.
This is the third year in a row that the event is being organised by the Sulabh, which has also been organizing festivals like Holi for them and has arranged visits for them to West Bengal and Delhi during Dussehra.
The organisation has been playing a leading role in adding mirth to the lives of the widows by organising other functions for them from time to time, Pathak said.
On a routine basis, Sulabh provides them medical facilities and vocational training besides meeting their day-to-day needs, he said.
In the wake of Supreme Court’s directives, Sulabh takes care of around 1,000 widows living in various ashrams in Vrindavan.
With a motive to bring a ray of happiness for the widows, social reformer and founder of Sulabh Movement, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak has come up with this idea to organise the festival of lights specially for the widows,” said spokesperson for Sulabh Movement.
“The celebrations will take place at Kesi ghat on the bank of river Yamuna and a century-old widow ashram in Vrindavan. For this, the procession of widows with ‘diya’ would begin from Meerasahabhagini Widow Sadan in Bhoot Ghali of Vrindavan,” added the official.
“The celebration will also include lighting of ‘phul-jhadi’. Besides, all six ashrams that are being run by Sulabh are being decorated with rangoli. The celebration would end with a cultural programme and special dinner for the widows,” he said.
“We had been celebrating Holi and Rakshabandhan but Diwali had been low profile always. This time it would be a full-fledged festival of lights for these widows,” he further added.
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