Vrindavan: Under the guise of salvation, what a misery to the mother!

BY-RAJEEV CHOUDHARY

Vrindavan, located in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, is considered to be the city of Krishna. The Vrindavan where Yogeshwar Shri Krishna’s childhood was spent. But now the place of faith of Shri Krishna ji, that Vrindavan has become the city of widows. Recently the President of India Ram Nath Kovind had gone to Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh with his family. Here the President met the poor and destitute mothers. Elderly mothers shed tears as they shared their experiences and pains. During this the President also became emotional. In his address, the President said that there is a need to change the disdain these mothers have received from the society.

However, in the year 2016, the Supreme Court had expressed concern over the pathetic condition of the destitute and widowed women of Vrindavan. The court had also asked the National Commission for Women to submit a detailed report on the manner in which these women are treated. Then the Supreme Court had asked, ‘Why do girls’ families send them to widow ashrams after they become widows?

You go to Vrindavan, you will find a group of widows on the side of the roads. These are mostly elderly widows, going through a torturous cycle of life. Whether it is the area around the famous Banke Bihari temple or the area of ​​the ISKCON temple, you will see hundreds of old widows wearing tilak on their foreheads.

All the widows who have come here are Krishna devotees, but many of these widows are such who have not come here voluntarily. Some of them have been left here in the name of salvation. Some have been evicted from the house. Some came here because of being alone or upset by the bad behavior of the family members. The children of any of these are crorepatis and the children of some are big officers. Most of the widows are also poor, who have come here from Nepal and Bengal or have been left behind. Most of the widows have either no members left in their families or their families are not ready to take care of them.

Hundreds of these widows perform bhajan-kirtan in various ashrams and temples and in return they get some food in the evening. Despite the means of income like bhajan-kirtan, government pension, some widows have to beg to feed due to financial difficulties.

Saraswati, 83, is spending the last phase of her life in Vrindavan. Saraswati has two sons. There is a lot of property in the village. There are two houses and one hotel in Delhi. Saraswati tells that one day the son, daughter-in-law and grandson brought them to Vrindavan. Talking in an ashram, left here with torn clothes. She ran back, cried and pleaded to take her along. I will do all the household work there. But the son said – stay for a few days, mother, I will come soon to get it. But a year and a half passed, no one took notice. Wipes the tears rolling down her cheeks, then trying hard to smile, says that son is all a game of luck.

Progress of any country The development of that country is not judged by its wide roads, bridges and tall buildings. Rather, the measure is that in what condition are the elders of that country. How did social development take place? Even though ordinary Indians go to Vrindavan. Offering prasad in temples, doing circumambulation. But foreign tourists come here and take them by making a documentary on these widows and tell the world, see India!

Our administration, media, society and religion may turn a blind eye to these horrifying scenes hidden behind the reverence of our rich, religious leaders and people running shops in the name of social service, but all this keeps on making headlines again and again in the foreign media. Which tarnishes our righteousness, our sociability, our benevolence.

There is a lot of pain on the face of these women, yet there is no fuzz on the face. For years, he suffered the brunt of social discrimination. Saw the beating of time and the indifference of loved ones. He had to beg to fill his stomach. For doing bhajan in the ashram, few rupees are received, but for this the priests had to join hands and feet so that their number could come in bhajan-kirtan. Despite all this, the mouth only chants Radhe-Radhe. Not a word of complaint speaks. She also puts the blame of every pain she has faced in life on her fate.

Not only this, recently Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, quoted a news published in a local newspaper that said that the most painful aspect of the life of widows is that they are not cremated after their death. His dead body is thrown into the Yamuna.

In the past, from many news portals to many people have also written that this plight of widowed women is becoming a stigma in the name of Vrindavan. Where ever the story of honoring and glorifying women in the form of gopis by Yogeshwar Shri Krishna reverberates in the lanes of the city of religion, the exploitation, neglect and sufferings of women on that virtuous land is nothing short of ironic and tragedy. They are forced to beg because their only crime is that they are widows.

If anything is visible on the streets of today’s Vrindavan, then only the pain of these widows, their suffering, their tragic life. If anything is heard, the hymns of Krishna coming out of the mouths of these widows, after listening to which the people who come and go give them alms. For years, it is in the public knowledge that these widowed women, who have been scolded by family and relatives and neglected, live here in what helplessness. There is no other place for them anywhere in the world, there is no one to search for them, so everyone is ready to exploit them. Every widow here has a sad story. If someone’s son used to kill them, then someone’s daughter-in-law would not give them food. While living here, they feel that I wish I was childless, because it is better to be called infertile than such a child.

This question is not from any government, this question is not from any politician or official. The question is from those people who drank milk wrapped in the lap of these mothers, learned to walk and in the end walked so fast that they left their responsibility helpless to beg their mothers here on the streets. Thanks to the President of India who raised this issue in his address. Now the government should bring a law to punish those children who are enjoying the luxury of these widowed mothers roaming on the streets, who have left these shabby living bodies in thousands at this stage to beg on the streets of Vrindavan. Gave. After all, why exploit these widow women only? Why the cracks in the earth of faith? Who will assure them to be sure? Who will light the lamp that fills their expectations? And who will give foundation to his faith by rebuking the crevices of unbelief? Who will punish their children while enjoying luxury?

BY-RAJEEV CHOUDHARY