It will be a unique Diwali for widows of Vrindavan. They have decided to celebrate the festival of lights by offering thousands of “diyas” on the ghats of river Yamuna and take a pledge to clean the river.
Around 1,000 widows who live in different ashrams in the holy city will burst crackers, sing ‘bhajans’ and be part of Diwali celebrations, defying old-age traditions where widows are not allowed to be part of festivals.
Diya of hopeThe three-day celebrations will begin on Tuesday, courtesy sanitation NGO Sulabh International that gives monthly stipend and takes care of their medical needs following request from a Supreme Court committee to ensure that these old widows live a dignified life.
“We want to ensure that these widows live a dignified life … Sulabh will continue with its nationwide campaign for the welfare of widows. We will help them enjoy all major festivals,” said Sulabh founder Bindeshwar Pathak.
Referring to his efforts to get Parliament pass a Bill to improve the condition of widows abandoned by families, Dr. Pathak said he would write to all political parties on the issue.
