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Celebrating Holi: A dash of colour, some bonhomie for Vrindavan widows
A large number of widows once again participated in Holi celebrations inside the historic Gopinath temple, in Vrindavan, on Monday
A large number of widows once again participated in Holi celebrations inside the historic Gopinath temple, in Vrindavan, on Monday.
Large amounts of fresh flower petals of different colours were arranged to play Holi.
The widows played Holi with each other with specially prepared ‘gulal’ (coloured powder) to avoid any health hazards. They also used flower petals while singing Krishna bhajans and songs.
Until a few years ago, it was unthinkable as widows were looked upon as being inauspicious and were shunned. They were debarred from celebrating or participating in any festival and social function.
It is the seventh year that social reformer and founder of Sulabh International, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, initiated efforts to mobilise hundreds of widows who have made Vrindavan their home to celebrate Holi. As such, the Vrindavan’s Holi celebrations in recent years have become memorable occasions for the large number of widows here.
Things changed for widows when the Supreme Court intervened to take care of the widows waiting for death in despair in the last stages of their lives.
Dr Pathak while assigning reasons behind organising Holi says, “I was horrified to see their heart-wrenching plight. To keep them in such pathetic conditions, I thought, was inhumane and a blot on our culture.
“My idea of celebrating Holi in Vrindavan is to send a clear and strong message to widows and the society at large. We want to help them develop their resilience and self-esteem and want them to believe that they too are normal human beings. They have their dignity like us, and they have the right to sing, laugh, dance and lead a normal life”.
This special celebration is set to add a new colour to Holi festivities in ‘Braj’, popular among both Indian and foreign tourists.
While expressing joy, Mannu Ghosh in her 80s termed this celebration as a “Holi of hope for thousands of widows living in Vrindavan and Varanasi. Others like Chabi Dasi and Rataniya Maa expressed great pleasure in celebrating Holi with their peers.
