The world-famous La Tomatina festival in the Spanish town of Bunol has expressed solidarity with a cause that will brighten the lives of underprivileged Indian women.
Owing to overcrowding in the Valencian town during the festival, authorities have decided to limit attendance to 20,000 ticket holders, Xinhua reported.
The move led to Bunol town hall making an announcement on Thursday that profits from ticket sales this year will be donated to a social project to help Dalit women in India.
The Sahell association, which works with the charity organisation Lokpanchayat, maintains safe houses for Dalit women who have either been abandoned and mistreated or are suffering social exclusion.
The project aims to provide a safe environment for the women and help them become economically independent.
Meanwhile, a campaign has been launched in Bunol to make people aware about the atrocities faced by Dalit women. A photograpy exhibition titled ‘The Odyssey of being a woman in India’ will be displayed in the town from Thursday.
The Fountain of Women , a film set on traditional roles and exploitation of women in India, will be screened ahead of the festival.
On the last Wednesday of August every year tens of thousands of tourists join the 9,000 inhabitants of the town to throw tonnes of tomatoes at each other in what can be called as one of the “messiest events of the year.”
