And now an ATM for water in Mathura!

Big News Network (IANS) Tuesday 24th March, 2015 

If all goes well, water scarcity will soon be history in this part of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. An ATM-like machine that dispenses water will come up here in a fortnight.

Sonkh is famous as an archaeological site with a goldmine of valuable artefacts going back at least three millennia. But it is also known as an area where water is always in short supply.

The water dispensing machine with an RO plant will be the first of its kind in Uttar Pradesh, according to district officials. The machine will cater to some 2,500 families. A pre-paid card will be made available to those willing to pay for water.

The water cost has been kept low -- 10 to 20 paise a litre. School kids will get free water.

An official said the 20,000 litre plant would cost around Rs.18.56 lakh. Sonkh at present gets piped water from 10 km away.

An official said 80 percent work on the project was over. Within a fortnight, it should become operational, providing relief to residents of Sonkh, said the town's executive officer Ram Asrey Kamal.

Kamal said the water will be safe, cool and potable.

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MP Hema Malini to organise 'Braj Mahotsav' in Mathura

24 Mar, 2015

"Although the list of invitees and artists has not been
finalised yet, my endeavor is to make sure that the fest
goes down in history as a memorable one," Malini said.

MATHURA: Mathura MP and actress Hema Malini will organize a two-day 'Braj Mahotsav' on April 11-12 here to promote the city's rich cultural heritage. 

The festival will be organized at the under-construction Vrindavan Chandrodaya temple near National Highway and will witness the participation of people from the political and entertainment world. 

Malini has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and filmstars like Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor for the festival which will showcase "the Braj culture to the world." 

"Although the list of invitees and artists has not been finalised yet, my endeavor is to make sure that the fest goes down in history as a memorable one," Malini said. 

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Mathura-Vrindavan widows set to vote in 2017 election

Ishita Mishra, TNN | Mar 14, 2015 

AGRA: The widows of Mathura and Vrindavan, who in recent years have shed the traditional stigma that attaches to widowhood, taking part in Diwali and Holi festivities, are all set to cast votes in the 2017 state assembly elections. After the widows expressed a desire to be enfranchised, the Centre asked the Mathura district administration to survey them, so they can be given Aadhar numbers on a priority basis. 

These will then be linked to voter IDs. The survey will also include details of their source of livelihood and conditions of living. 

Dhirendra Sachan, additional district magistrate (revenue and finance), Mathura, said the district administration had received instructions from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), seeking that preparations be made for issuing Aadhar cards to widows. The administration is set to survey widows in the twin cities of Mathura and Vrindavan. 

"We will be setting up special camps at the ashrams where the widows live to issue the Aadhar cards. Chief development officer Andre Vamsi is the nodal officer for the survey at ward level in Vrindavan, Goverdhan, Barsana, Nandgaon, Baldeo and Mahaban," Sachan said. 

After Aadhar numbers are issued, these will be connected to voter IDs. Bank accounts would also be opened for widows later. The ADM explained that the 12-digit Aadhar number can be used to get the subsidy on the LPG cylinder directly in the bank account; anyone with this number could also avail benefits under the Jan Dhan Yojana, as Aadhar is the only document one needs to open a bank account. Pensioners from select states also receive their pensions through it. 

Manu Ghosh, 85, a destitute widow at a Vrindavan ashram, expressed happiness over the development. "We too want to be part of electing a leader, and we would like to vote for someone who could improve our lives. Voting is the only way we get to help ourselves," she said. 

Uma Patel, an NGO worker who runs an ashram in Vrindavan, said, "During the Lok Sabha elections, widows who had voter IDs found their names missing from the voters' list. Booth-level officers asked them to fill new forms. Most of these women are old and illiterate, and not aware of their rights." 

The additional district magistrate said there were about 5,000 widows living in different ashrams in Vrindavan and Mathura; ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, only about 200 of them were found in possession of valid voter ID cards. 

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Free bus rides for Vrindavan widows soon

VRINDAVAN: Widows of the holy city will soon be able to avail of free rides in government-run roadways buses anywhere in the state. The move comes close on the heels of their trip to the Taj Mahal and an announcement that they would be given Aadhar cards for identification, enabling them to eventually get voter ID cards. 

Mathura district officials said on Monday that details of free trips on state-run buses are being worked out. 

The state government has also announced a fund of Rs 1.1 crore for providing better facilities at widows' shelter home, while an announcement to construct a new shelter home has also been made earlier. The fund will be utilized to buy one ambulance, besides improving the basic amenities like water and electricity connectivity at the shelter homes. 

As widows earn a meagre sum as livelihood, the state government will soon give them passes or some identification for availing free bus service, officials said. 

Several other measures are being taken to improve the lot of widows in the Braj area, according to chief development officer (CDO) Andra Vamsi. A comprehensive survey is being conducted to get an accurate number of widows. The Supreme Court has called for a detailed report, district officials informed. These women have to be helped to find an accommodation and get their Aadhar cards made. The CDO is the nodal officer for coordinating work done by various agencies.

Meanwhile, divisional commissioner Pradip Bhatnagar along with district officials reviewed facilities for widows. On a recent visit, he inspected the various projects run for them. 

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Muslim village head builds temple in Mathura district

MATHURA, March 9, 2015

His gesture is being lauded by people not only in Sahaar, where the temple has been built, but also those in neighbouring areas.

In a shining example of communal harmony, a Muslim village head has constructed a temple in Sahaar village of Mathura district.

The construction of the temple started about eight months ago and religious ceremony relating to the opening of the temple was performed on Sunday.

“Pran Pratishtha (religious ceremony) of deity Shiv Ji and Hanuman Ji was performed amidst chanting of Vedic hymns on Sunday,” Ajmal Ali Sheikh, the Sahaar village head who has constructed the temple said on Monday.

“Few rooms adjacent to temple for the use of priest and other visitors would be constructed shortly,” Sheikh said, claiming that he had spent over Rs. four lakhs from his pocket for the construction.

He said that he felt the need for a temple in Nagla Gajai area of the village for a long time.

“It grew more last year when I saw ladies coming to village Sahaar on the occasion of Shiv Ratri to pay their obeisance to deity, after travelling about four kilometers”, Sheikh stated.

Congratulating Shiekh for constructing the temple, former UP Minister Laxhmi Narayan Choudhary said, “This is a commendable work and it will certainly bring both the communities together.”

Choudhary has represented Chhatta assembly constituency three times earlier.

The harmony between both the communities is an example for others, villagers said.

The commendable work of Ajmal Ali Sheikh is being lauded by villagers of not only Nagla Gajai area but also by neighbouring villages also.

“It is real work in the direction of bringing both the communities closer,” Zahid Ali of neighbouring Dautana village said.

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Angel of Vrindavan: Dr Laxmi Gautam gets Nari Shakti Puraska

Monday, 9 March 2015 

'I'm never scared of the dead; it is the living who frighten me' 

Vrindavan widows File Photo 

For professor Dr Laxmi Gautam, a normal day begins in the alleys besides the ghats of the Yamuna. She walks the alleys with the fortitude that few can muster, looking for any dead bodies of the widows of Vrindavan with a simple resolution: providing them a dignified end.

Dr Gautam is one of the bravehearts awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar by President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on International Women's Day. The award, given out for the first time this year, along with the Stree Shakti Puraskar by the ministry of women and child development, commemorates exceptional contribution by women in various fields and carries a citation of ?1,00,000.

Once she finds a dead body, Dr Gautam springs to action. She arranges for a respectable cremation; logs are arranged and last rites are performed. There are days when she lifts dead bodies with her own hand to put them on the pyre. "I'm never scared of the dead; it is the living who frighten me. They can harm you, but not the dead," she says.

She also looks after the living. Dr Gautam provides for countless abandoned widows; sometimes a warm meal, a blanket, medical needs, and also emotional care, through her NGO Kanak Dhara Foundation.

Dr Gautam had served as the deputy mayor in 1995 where she instituted medical help and pension plans for the widows of Vrindavan. Named after her late mother-in-law, the NGO was formed five years ago. Without much financial help, Dr Gautam looks after the widows on her own. At the moment, three widows live with her in her house where she takes care of them and cook for them.

"These women are abandoned, left to fend for themselves after their husbands are dead. Several die in penury, and young widows are forced into prostitution," says Dr Gautam. In all, Dr Gautam has ensured that more than 500 widows have been bestowed with a decent cremation.

After the awards, Dr Gautam met prime minister Modi, who asked her if there was any incident that moved her to tears. "I told him of a call I received on Holi. An 80-year-old woman has been thrown out of her house by her sons without any piece of clothing. Along the way, all I could think of was how many people would have seen her," says Dr Gautam. The recounting moved the gathering, and PM Modi, to tears.

But that's just in a day's work for Dr Gautam. "I've seen worse: dogs eating away abandoned corpses. I've washed worm-infested feet of the widows with my own hands before taking them to the hospital," she says.

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Vrindavan widows taken on Taj tour

LUCKNOW, March 9, 2015

Widows from Vrindavan and Varanasi at the Taj Mahal on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Sunday.

To mark the International Women’s Day, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Sunday played host to hundreds of widows from Vrindavan and Varanasi when it organised a guided tour for them to the two UNESCO World Heritage sites of Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

The ASI organised this unique trip in association with the Delhi-based NGO, Sulabh International that takes care of these widows shunned by their families.

The ASI was inspired by several events organised by several groups and NGOs, particularly Sulabh International, to bring them to the national mainstream. Asked why the ASI decided to organise the trip, its Superintending Archaeologist (Agra) N.K. Pathak said: “We want to send out a message that these widows are also an integral part of our society and deserve equal attention and affection ...We hope more such events would be organised for these women.”

According to Sulabh International founder and mentor Bindeshwar Pathak, “For centuries, widows have been ostracised by society ... They are not allowed to participate in auspicious and religious functions. Such unique initiatives will go a long way in bridging these gaps.”

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Vrindavan, Varanasi widows celebrate Holi together

Lucknow, March 3, 2015 (PTI)

Around a thousand widows living reclusive lives at ashrams in Vrindavan and Varanasi today began special four-day long Holi celebrations in Vrindavan today.

It is probably the first time when widows from Varanasi joined their sisters at the century old "Pagal Baba Widow Ashram" in Vrindavan for celebrating the festival of colours, breaking an age-old Hindu tradition, a realease issued by NGO Sulabh International said.

The widows, who normally wear only white sarees, smeared colours on each other and enjoyed the festival with over 1,000 kg 'gulal' (coloured powder) in several colours and 1500 kgs of rose and marigold petals which has been arranged for the programme.

The Holi revelries began with much fanfare and included music and dance performances. The celebration is a break from years of social stigma which is attached with women who have lost their husbands.

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