FOREWORD
“ V r i n d a v a n
... a p l a c e w e l l k n o w n a n d
r e v e r e d a s
t h e b i r t h p l a c e o f
Lo r d K r i s h n a . Al s o t h e d w e l l i n g o f t h e w i d o w s , w h o t o b e h e l p e d n e e d t o
p r a y a n d
s i n g B h a j a n s
,
t h u s g i v i n g
t h e m t h e
r i g h t
t o a
f r e e m e a l . V a r i o u s
s t u d i e s o n t h e
i s s u e h a v e r e p e a t e d l y h i g h l i g h t e d t h e p i t i a b l e c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e s e w o m e n .
I n a
s t u d y s p o n s o r e d b y N a t i o n a l C o m m i s s i o n f o r W o m e n i n 19 9 6 t i t l e d “ T h e W i d o w s o f V r i n d a v a n ” i t
w a s e s t i m a t e d t h a t a t t h e t i m e t h e r e w e r e m o r e t h a n 5 0 0 0 w i d o w s a n d d e s t i t u t e w o m e n i n t h e
c i t y o f V r i n d a v a n , l i v i n g i n “ p i t i a b l e a n d p a t h e t i c c o n d i t i o n s ” a n d h a v i n g b e e n a b a n d o n e d b y t h e i r
f a m i l i e s h a d n o “ f i n a n c i a l , s o c i a l o r e m o t i o n a l s u p p o r t ”
I h o p e
t h i s
r e p o r t
, b a s e d u p o n
t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t d i r e c t i v e s
t o
t h e C o m m i s s i o n
i n t h e
m a t t e r o f , E n v i r o n m e n t & C o n s u m e r P r o t e c t i o n F o u n d a t i o n V e r s u s U n i o n o f
I n d i a W r i t P e t i t i o n
( C i v i l ) N o ( s ) 6 5 9 o f 2 0 0 7 ,w o u l d e n a b l e t h e C e n t r a l a n d t h e S t a t e g o v e r n m e n t s t o t a k e a p p r o p r i a t e
a c t i o n t o a m e l i o r a t e t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f w i d o w s i n V r i n d a v a n
DR. GIRIJA VYAS
C h a i r p e r s o n
N a t i o n a l C o m m i s s i o n f o r W o m e n
(i)
Foreword
.............................................................................................................
(i)
1.1 Scope and Methodolog y
..............................................................................1
1.2 Sites
..............................................................................................................2
Chapter-2
Anal ysis and results of the collected inf ormation
..................................................3
2.1
Vrindavan- Brief Introduction to the cit y
.......................................................3
2.2 Women of Vrindavan their stor y
....................................................................5
Chapter-3 Primar y Data Anal ysis
..............................................................................................7
Chapter-4 Secondar y Data Anal ysis
......................................................................................
12
Chapter-5
Pension and Ration Scheme and Overview
......................................................... 22
Chapter-6
Better service deliver y and directions f or the f uture
........................................... 27
Chapter-7 Summar y f indings
.................................................................................................
30
Chapter-8 Recommendations
...............................................................................................
35
Annexure-II
Widows in Vrindavan - A Literature Review
......................................................... 44
Annexure-III
Details of women interviewed at Vrindavan
........................................................ 48
Annexure-IV
Details of women interviewed at Vrindavan
...................................................... 113
Annexure-V Primar y data anal ysis
..........................................................................................
146
Annexure-VI Pensions – A Realit y Check
................................................................................
151
Annexure-VII Better service deliver y
.......................................................................................
161
STUDY ON WIDOWS AT VRINDAVAN - INTRODUCTION
In response to a Writ Petition (Civil) No (s) 659 of 2007, Environment & Consumer Protection
Foundation Versus Union of
India and others; the Supreme Court of
India directed the National
Commission
f or Women, New Delhi to “have a comprehensive surve y of the problem and f ile a
report to the court ..... containing the age group of the widows, their f amil y background and all
other inf ormation which are materiall y relevant f or the purpose of this court.....” (Dated 14.11.2008/
6.12.2008).
The National Commission
f or Women b y Order No.
8/4 (62)/C & 1/2008-NCW dated
23.12.2008, constituted a seven member Enquir y Committee in December 2008 to “Inquire into
the plight of widows living
in Vrindavan of Mathura District
in Uttar Pradesh” the Committee
constituted of the f ollowing
1.
Dr (Ms) Giri ja V yas, Chairperson , National Commission f or Women
2.
Dr (Mrs.) Mohini Giri, f ormer Chairperson National Commission For Women
3. Dr Achal Bhagat, SARTHAK NGO
4. Ms Anupama Datta, Help Age India
5. Yogesh Mehta law of f icer
6. Sheeba Chowdhar y
In Januar y 2009, members of the Committee made a two da y visit to the cit y of Vrindavan so
as to be able to def ine the scope and methodolog y of the inf ormation collection process f or the
purpose of the report and thereaf ter the stud y was continuousl y taken up f rom time to time with
visits to vrindavan in the month of Januar y , Februar y April and August 2009and the draf t f inalized
in September 2009
1.1 Scope and Methodology
The inf ormation collection process f or the purpose of the report was undertaken and conf ined
to the cit y of Vrindavan. The methodolog y includes Collection of primar y data based on surve y ,
secondar y
inf ormation provided b y the district administration,
interviews with women (random
sampling),
interviews with the shelter/home authorities, administrative of f icials and participator y
group discussions
with the women living in the ashrams/shelters.
The methodolog y of inf ormation collection was adapted to the needs of the stud y in due
course to include case studies, interviews with bank of f icials and random checks f or the purpose
of corroboration of inf ormation.
Inf ormation collection was undertaken at:
Mahila Ashra y Sadan, Swadhar Yo jna, Chaitna ya Vihar, Phase II
Pagal Baba Ashram, Meera Sehbhagini Yo jna, Bhutgali
Mahila Ashra y Sadan, Swadhar Yo jna, Sitaram Sadan, Ramanu j Nagar
AIWC Old Age Home, Taraash Mandir
Krishna Kshem Ashram, Ramanreti,
Bhagwan Bha jan Ashrams at Patharpura and Fogla Ashram
Bala ji Bha jan Ashram, Ramanreti
1 Radha Kund
Collectorate, Mathura
A detailed background on Widowhood: An
Introduction and Widows
in Vrindavan – A
Literature Review is placed as Annexure I and II.
1 Radhakund, Population- 5932
of
Govardhan
and
to have killed
commemorate
on
the dark half of
2 Barsana, Population-9,960
(2001 ): 50 km
Govardhan, is
Barsana
Krishna’s
beloved and
consort. This
is the venue of the annual
f air held
in the month of Bhadon (Jul y-August). The birth
anniversar y of Radha-Rani is celebrated on
the ninth da y of the bright
half of Bhadrapad (Jul y-August) at the Mor-
Kutir Temple which was built about
300 years ago. Barsana is also
f amous f or its ‘Latthmar’ Holi-celebration of
the
f amous
place of Hindu pilgrimage, It is located on a narrow sandstone hill known as Girira j which is about 8 km in length.
The young Lord Krishna
is said
to have held Girira j up on
the
tip of a f inger
f or 7 da ys and nights to shield
the
the deluge of rain sent
down b y Lord Indra. It is set
along
the edge of
a large masonr y tank
known as the
2.1
Vrinda van – Brief Introduction to the City
V a n a m V r i n d a v a n a m N a a m P a s h v a y a m N a v k a n a n a m
G o p g o p i g a v a m S e v y a m P u n y a d i t r a u n v i r u d h a m
Srimadbhagwat 10 / 11 / 28
In ancient times, as mentioned
in the S r i m a d b h a g w a t and
in the writings of poet Kalidas,
Vrindavan, located on the banks of river Yamuna, was a place of green woods and rolling meadows.
It was home to Lord Krishna where he is said to have herded his cows, danced with the g o p i e s ,
f ought the evil Kansa and f allen in love with Radha.
The ancient name of the cit y,
Brindaban,
had been named af ter its ancient groves of
Brinda,
O c i m u m t e n u i f l o r u m , or Tulsi, with b a n meaning a grove or a f orest. Two small groves still exist,
4 Nidhivan and
5
Seva Kun j. It lies in the
6
Bra j region. It is about 15km awa y f rom Mathura cit y , the
birthplace of Lord Krishna and in recent times the hub of Mathura district administration.
While
in the past Vrindavan was considered the most beautif ul of
f orests in the whole of
India (Kalidas) in the last 250 years it has mushroomed into a concrete jungle f illed with hundreds
of temples, ashrams and apartments catering to an ever
increasing f low of tourists and m o k h s h
seekers. The roads and b y-lanes choke with modern da y traf f ic and a milieu of people f rom dif f erent
parts of India and the
rest of the world. The
7 Radha Krishna legend continues
to be the main
source of livelihood f or its people and most of the income generation activities in the cit y
depend
on the f unctioning of its over 85000 temples and ashrams. Vaishnavism is the main tradition f ollowed
in Vrindavan.
f ound.
Tulsi. Radha and
Krishna are said
to have
taken rest here, af ter dancing and other con jugal af f airs. There is a small temple here known as the “sleeping
temple,” The samadhi of
take part in
Haridas. 5
The Seva Kun j marks the place where Lord Krishna once perf ormed the Raaslila with Radha-Rani and the gopis.
6
Bra jbhoomi - the land where Lord Krishna was born and spent
his youth, has toda y little
towns and hamlets that are
still alive with
Mathura, in
Uttar Pradesh, the nucleus of
Bra jbhoomi, is located at a
distances of
145 km south- east of
3,800 sq. km.
part in
the
encompasses Vrindavan, Govardhan, Kusum Sarovar, Barsana and Nandgaon.The
land of Bra j starts
f rom Kotban
near Hodel about
95 km f rom Delhi and ends at Runakta which is known speciall y f or its association with
the great
to
the
worship
of
Radha
and
Krishna
and
is
considered
sacred
b y a number of religious traditions such as Gaudi ya Vaishnavism, Vaishnavism and Hinduism in general.
8
According
to
the place in 2000-01 revealed
that there were more
4
Situated on the bank of river Yamuna, Vrindavan is a heritage and tourist place in the state of
Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located at a distance of 145 km. South of the National Capital Delhi and
is accessible b y road (National Highwa y No. 2). The nearest railwa y station is at Mathura located at
a distance of 14 km. Built during the 16th and 17th centur y, there are more than 5,500 temples
mainl y devoted to
lif e and deeds of
lord Krishna and Radha
Rani, his consort. In addition to
temples, Vrindavan has s a m a d h i s (places where ashes of f amous religious persons are kept), g h a t s
(stepped bathing places along the river), kun jas (gardens), k u n d a s (man-made water tanks) and
institutions of religious and cultural education. There is a 10km. long circular pathwa y surrounding
the
town called P a r i k r a m a M a r g where, on
specif ic da ys
such as E k a d a s i ,
the 11 th
da y of the
waxing and waning of moon, devotees, bare-f ooted in man y cases, perf orm the ritual of walking
and completing the P a r i k r a m a .
The area of the town is 4.56 sq. km. and as per 2001 Census of India, it has a population of
56,692. The dail y inf low of pilgrims and tourists is about 10,000 and on the birthda y of the lord
Krishna, it reaches to its peak with one million visitors. It is said that in the year 2003, some 3.31
million devotees and 16,000 international tourists visited Vrindavan.
A technical assessment report, under the
9
E c o -C i t y P r o j e c t o f G o I , f o r t h e c i t y o f V r i n d a v a n
draws a f air picture of the cit y in its modern avatar. According to this report:
Most of the land
in the town is owned b y the temple trusts and is not generall y available f or
other uses. The town is congested (densit y 15,000 persons per sq. km.) and people suf f er
f rom lack of light and ventilation in buildings.
The water of Yamuna River is contaminated due to lack of f low in river as a result of storage
of water up-stream
in the states of Har yana and Delhi. Discharge of industrial ef f luent and
untreated sewage adds to the
river water pollution. River f ront
is neglected as the river
course has shif ted awa y f rom the bathing g h a t s and the land between the g h a t s and river
course is heavil y polluted b y solid waste scattered all over or stagnant and stinking pools of
water.
A large number of 300 to 400 year old temples, built with good qualit y red sand stone with
rich architectural st yle, are dilapidated and require conservation.
Roads are narrow (3m. to 9m.) with buildings on both sides. There are no f ootpaths.
Traf f ic is mixed and carts driven b y animals (camel, horse, or bullock), c ycle rickshaw, c ycles,
automobiles and pedestrians compete f or the same road space.
9 As a part of
the
2002,
with
grant-in-aid
The
German
Technical Cooperation (GTZ), under its Indo German Programme on Advisor y Services f or Environmental Management
(ASEM), extended
5
Roads leading to temple entrances normall y have commercial activities on either side that
reduce their capacit y and add f urther to the traf f ic congestion.
Storm water drains are open and carr y sewage, plastic bags and other solid wastes dumped
carelessl y b y the people, which blocks them at places.
2.2
Women of Vrinda van – Their Story
216 women were met and
interviewed.
These women were met at
the homes run b y
government authorities and NGOs, at
their
rented accommodations, at b h a j a n a s h r a m s and
in
other public places such as g h a t s and temples. Their stories are presented in the f orm of statistical
out put and case studies. Details of the interviews are given in Annexure III / IV.
In addition to the direct
interviews
inf ormation was collected on all
the women living in
homes run b y the government and NGOs. According to a
letter b y the DM of Mathura to NCW
dated 17.12.09
there are 6 Ashra y Sadan/short sta y homes f or women in Vrindavan. Two of these
are run under the GoI Scheme called Swadhar Yo jna; two under the Meera Sehbhagini Yo jna of
GoUP and two are run b y AIWC and Guild of Services Respectivel y.
The destitute women of Vrindavan, on the whole, are dependent on the state, the b h a j a n
a s h r a m s and the pilgrims that come to the town of Vrindavan. The bha jan ashrams are the single
most important entit y in their
lives and are
the onl y places where an outsider can get a quick
glimpse into their lives. For the stud y team the Bhagwan bha jan ashram at Patharpura and the Bala ji
bha jan ashram at Ramanreti were
the f ocal point
f or meeting with women and
f ollowing their
lives. The state provides the women with shelter, pension, ration and at times health care in the
f orm of camps, distribution of wheel chairs and glasses (f or e yes). The pilgrims provide the women
Bha jan Ashrams – A Lif e line
A bha jan ashram
is a place where the destitute women go f or bha jans that f orm the core of
their lives. In this place the y meet each other, exchange stories, sing bha jans and get some cash
f or their needs. The y also receive donations in these places given b y the pilgrims seeking blessings
of
the all might y. Bha jan ashrams are a world unto
themselves and some claim that
the y are
simpl y an encouragement
f or more women to f lock
to the cit y and f or
the management to
convert their black mone y
into white. The government authorities have no control over
the
operation of these bha jan ashrams. However the government authorities have opened ration
shops in these ashrams as the y are the ke y places f or reaching this population. The women go
to the bha jan ashrams in
shif ts of 6-10am, 10-3pm and 3-7pm.
For each 4 hours shif t
the y
receive Rs3 at the Bhagwan bha jan ashram and Rs3 plus 100gm dal and rice at Bala ji.
The Bhagwan Bha jan Ashram
has 7 branches at Vrinda van, namel y, Gopinath Bazar, Murarka
Dharamshala Patharpura, Patharpura Na ya Bhawan, Patharpura Narsingh Bhawan, Patharpura
Chotibadi, Ath Khamba and Fogla Ashram. The Bala ji Bha jan Ashram has only
one branch at
Ramanreti. This bha jan ashram
is apparentl y run b y
the Action Shoe Compan y owners.
The
bha jan ashram has a hierarchy that appears as f ollows:
Super visor
of Bha jan Ashram (keeps account of the number of women who come in each
shif t, resolves disputes and ensures that the women get their mone y, receives a monthl y
salar y of Rs70)
Token Maanager (gives Rs3 token to women when the y come in and gets a slar y of Rs10
per month)
Dholak Mai (lad y who pla ys the dholak and gets Rs15 per month)
Pra vachan Mai (lad y who reads the hol y book and gets Rs9)
Jhan j Mai (pla ys the jhan j and gets Rs5 per month)
PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS
Interviews with 216 women were held based on a questionnaire guide and
the outputs
f rom these
interviews are presented in Annexure
II. From the anal ysis of
inf ormation received it
emerges that
the destitute women who call
Vrindavan ‘home’ largel y belong
to 5 categories,
namel y (i) Widows – Women whose spouses have died, (ii) Married Women – who have husbands
that are unable to earn a living to support their f amil y, (iii) Deserted – Women whose husbands
have married a second time, (iv) Di vorced & Separated – Women who have been legall y separated
f rom their
spouses, (v) Unmarried – Single Women who have chosen devotion or and due
to
povert y were unable to marr y. Amongst those interviewed 78% women were widows, 17% married
(inclusive of deserted), 5% unmarried & single and onl y 2 cases where the separation was legal in
nature.
The case studies based on inter views are included at Annexure-III, IV and V.
Li ving Quarters – Rented Accommodation, Ashray Sadan and Ashrams
Ma jorit y of the interviewed women i.e.125 were f ound
to be living in rented
accommodations, f ollowed b y
government institutions, temples and ashrams. The rents that
women pa y f or accommodation
range between Rs150 to
Rs300. In the case where the
rent is Rs100-150 the
accommodation is shared between 2 to 4 women. In all the
cases the rented premises do not have basic f acilities
like
toilets, electricit y and running water. Old women f ind it tough
to take care of them selves especiall y when the y are
ill or
immobile due to in jur y or f alls. Ma jorit y of them did not have
pensions and ration cards and survived on bha jan ashram
earnings and alms.
60 of the interv iewed women
were l iv ing in
government run homes. Their main concern was about the
authorities that ran these homes. Almost all had pensions
and ration cards.
The women who live in temples and ashrams are the
most deprived as the y do so because of no other option or
because the y were brought to Vrindavan b y the gurus
who
run the ashrams and the y get shelter in return f or doing chores such as cooking and cleaning.
Kala Bari – Sample the Rental
Premises
building in the old Vrindavan area
cal led Gopinath Bazar. The
possessors l ive in the wel l
maintained quarters while the
live in sections that are
f alling
apart bit b y bit. Each small room
is like a hovel without electricit y.
Water source is a handpump and
there are no toi lets. Doors,
windows and walls are crumbling
and
f alling. The monthl y rent
f or
this
is Rs105. 7-8 widows and 3
f amilies live in these quarters. The
‘owners’ pref er to call this charit y.
8
The others categor y
includes women who live with
their sons, daughters or daughter-in-
laws and in one case the woman belongs to a nearb y village and lives in her own home.
Marital Status
78% of the women
are widows. However
about 50% of them have
f amilies (sons and
daughters) in their places of origin. In cases where women have sons the y have been lef t because
the y could not get along with the wives or because the sons did not take care of them or because
the sons don’t earn enough. In cases where the y have onl y daughters the y have no option but to
live on their own as traditionall y daughters go to in-laws house af ter marriage.
17% are married. The married women in most cases live with husbands in Vrindavan but in
almost all the cases the husband is either ill or disabled and unable to earn a living. In some cases
the husbands have got married again and so the wif e decided to come to Vrindavan.
5% of
the women are unmarried and
in man y wa ys
the most marginalized as even the
Age Prof ile
Ma jorit y of the interviewed women i.e. 25% belong to the 66-70 yrs age group. 16% belong
to the 61- 65 yrs age group while 18% belong to the 56-60 yrs age group. On the whole 59% of
the women belong to the senior citizen age group.
Place of Origin
Ma jorit y of the women i.e. 74% belong to the state of West Bengal f ollowed at 3% b y the
states of Uttar Pradesh and Chattisgarh. Legend has it that the reason wh y maximum women f rom
West Bengal come to Vrindavan is because Chaitna ya Mahaprabhu f rom Naudia district had come
here and established man y homes and places of worship. However it would be f air to sa y that the
status of widowed women
in Bengal is amongst the worst
in the countr y and in modern
times
point or another as house maids, agricultural
labourer and care taker of children. These skills
do not help them in earning
a living at
Vrindavan and their literac y
levels makes
training in modern skills dif f icult as proven b y
various attempts b y the government and NGOs
in the area. C ynics claim
that the women of
Vrindavan don
t want to work because mone y
is easil y available and most of their needs are
taken care of but the f act remains that combined f actors of illiterac y, old age and language limitation
makes it dif f icult f or
the women to
f ind man y work options.
Institutions such as ISKON have
attempted at engaging women
in tasks such as a g a r b a t t i and candle making but have received
poor results. Even institutions such as Guild f or Services attempted with sewing and tailoring and
craf ts but as of now are not running these vocational training programs. The women themselves
have a point when the y claim,
in the absence of raw materials and marketing it is not possible f or
us to engage in self emplo yed activities.
Pensions and Ration Cards
68% of the
interviewed women do not
receive pensions while 58% do not hold
ration
cards. According to
the of f icials
in charge of
these services man y women
remain be yond their
reach because of a
lack of comprehensive door-to-door surve y
identif ying
these women. The y
claim that camps are organised and women are also contacted at the bha jan ashrams, even so
man y remain unreached. The women on the other hand claim that proof of residence is needed
f or accessing these services and since the y are unable to produce this document the y are unable
Health Ser vices
RK Mission Hospital is the most pref erred health service provider and is known as
Kali Bari
Hospital among the women. One ma jor reason f or this
is that
it has Bengali-speaking personnel
thus making it easier f or
the women. Other than this
the women at times go to
the private
practitioners where the y spend a lot of mone y. There are no emergenc y services and in case the
women are bedridden the y have to rel y on their own resources f or care taking. In cases where the
women live in groups the hardship is easier to bear but in cases where the y live alone ill health is
a heav y burden to bear.
Time Spent in Vrinda van
30% of the
interviewed women have
come to Vrindavan in the last 5 years while 21%
have been here f or 10 yrs or less. 20% women
have been here f or 11-15 yrs. The women who
have lived in Vrindavan f or 25 yrs or more have
a perspective that when
the y had come to
Vrindavan it was mainl y f or devotion to Radha
Rani but the y f eel
of f late the women come
here because the y can
earn mone y and
support their children back home”.
The
authorities that run the homes
support this
view. At the same time the
f act that 30%
women have come to the cit y in the last 5 yrs implies that the inf low of women is stead y and while
reasons have changed f rom
religious to socio-economic
the cit y is likel y
to continue receiving
such women.
On the whole it can be said that the f indings based on the primar y inf ormation anal ysis are
SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS
According a letter (No. 30 dated 17.12.08) b y the District Magistrate of Mathura, there are
6 Ashra y Sadan/Short Sta y Homes
in Vrindavan. Of these 2 are run under the Meera Sehbhagini
Scheme of GoU.P, 2 under
the Swadhar Scheme of GoI and 2 b y
the NGOs, namel y, Guild of
Services and All India Womens Conf erence respectivel y.
The team visited all the six institutions in Jan 09 and interviews were held with the residents
and authorities. Results of the visits and meetings are presented in Table 4.
Table-4
Homes f or the Women in Vrinda van : Issues in Brief
Inf rastructure Staf f & Facilities
Residents Comments
Mahila Ashray Sadan, Swadhar Yo jna, Chaitanya Vihar, Phase II (Since 2006 )
Building 1
ration depot
Building 2
is used as of f ice, 1 as
residence of the
have attached
bathrooms and
water.
1 Doctor provided b y HelpAge
India f or 1 da y in a month
2 Doctors f rom the Government
Hospital 2 da ys a week
1 Private Doctor who comes 2
da ys a week and is also available
f or emergencies.
living in the home are eligible f or
pension (Rs 300 per month
recei ved in 2 six monthly
installments of Rs1800 ) and
liter Kerosene, 700gm sugar )
Swadhar Benef its: Rs500 f or
Medicines and Food per woman
per month, Rs50 per month
pocket mone y, Bedding
there are between
200-215 women in
other than those
or disabled, go to
Bala ji f or the earl y
morning 6-10 a.m.
is no budget f or sweepers,
electricity and water bill and f or
maintenance of building and
other assets. The submersible
during the winter time when this
study was undertaken.
Syndicate Bank that has over
2000 such accounts. As a result
there are delays in passbook
updates and timel y
retrieval of
mone y.
and
the Probation Of f icer agree
that f unds
f or f ood and pocket
a llowance ha ve not been
recei ved in the last 1 year due to
dela ys at the head of f ice. The DM
and CDO are responsible f or
running this scheme but the y are
basis
Basis
Guards – 4 f rom the Yuva Kal yan
Vibhag
not received the Rs.
year.
(these are not the priorit y).
There are no norms f or the staf f
appointment theref ore people
with inadequate training and
Municipalit y.
is deducted and collected f rom
the allowance due to the women
because there are no f unds
f or
maintenance and this mone y is
used f or that purpose.
Pagal Baba Ashram, Meera Sehbhagini Yo jna, Bhoot Gali, Patharpura (Since 1999 )
The building in which the home is housed is o ver 100 years old and belongs to the Pagal Baba Trust. Most of
the residents in the building are o ver the age of 60yrs and the li ving conditions are not suitable f or this age
group. There are ma jor allegations of
ill treatment and money skimming
f orm pension accounts by the
women. The staf f is largely untrained and does not possess desired qualif ications.
Building 1 – Leela
Kun j Sadan
hall.
to the women on all da ys of the
week. Doctors who prov ide
service:
Anurag Gupta or Mano j Gupta
(govt hospital) on Tuesda ys
At the time of the
visit in March 2008
largel y on kerosene
are
not f ound to be suitable f or
old persons living there as the
toiled f acilities are poor and the
Ras Bihari building rooms are
located on the f irst
f loor
reachable b y a ding y
stair case.
Women are dependent on f illing
8-15 to a room.
cond ition with
clogged drains and
potholes in the
because she is not provided a
vehicle to come.
bed, pillow and sheets. There is
no pro vision f or
f ood or f ood
allowance.
Holders and the women who live
here bu y their ration f rom
this
shop.
buildings provided b y the
Pranti ye Vikas Dal on wages as
low as Rs75 per da y
f or 8hrs
shif t.
Warden
the women the
ration is purchased
their earnings f rom
the bha jan ashrams.
Most of the residents
Bhagwan Bha jan
earns Rs6.
need health care
pension mone y. Also
rece ive the ir
accounts.
bathing and washing.
regarding their pension
their passbooks and there was no
s ystem of pension accounts
maintenance at the ashram.
should get f ood allowance and
clothes. In addition the y should
get basic necessities such as
soaps, oil, buckets and mugs.
Since most residents are ver y old
there is a need f or an ambulance
and ser vices of nurse and
care
takers.
There is a need f or a
clerk f or
administration work.
Rs2500 and Rs2000 per month
respectivel y. The wardens and
assistant warden are on dut y
24hrs a da y and 7 da ys a week.
AIWC Short Stay Home f or Women, Taraash Mandir Campus (since 1988 )
AIWC Senior Citizen Home f or Women, Taraash Mandir Campus, (since 1990 )
15
All three homes are run by the All India Womens Council (AIWC ) with its Head Of f ice at New Delhi.
The entire premise is owned by one Mr Sharma who is likely an illegal occupier of a premise that is the
property of Mahara ja of Taraash. The story is that the daughter of the king f ell in lo ve with Lord Krishna and
came away to Vrinda van. The king built an estate with a temple called Jamai Mandir where she li ved and
de voted her lif e
to the ser vice of Lord Krishna. The entire premise is about 150 acres and is being sold of f
in pieces to builders and alleged land maf ia of Vrinda van.
Short Stay Home
rented building that
and vocat ional
entertainment (TV).
common toilets and
bath ing space
water has to be
pump in the
children can sta y up to 3 yrs.
Are given vocational training in
tailoring and sewing, knitting and
crochet.
residents in rotation
1 Accountant
1 peon
1 Chowkidar
Staf f
visit there were 21
women in the home.
Most had been there
Since the vocational
training courses did
not prov ide
visit there were 23
res idents in the
home. Most of them
illnesses related to
old age and
living conditions.
need f or a service
since man y
women and young girls run awa y
f rom home and f ind their wa y to
Vrindavan. Man y are benef ited
through med iat ion and
counse l ling. However the
residents who are unable to
return home end up as lif e
long
res idents of the p lace w ith
opportunities of work onl y in the
old age home run b y the
organization.
Child Welf are provide f unds.
It is
regular but salaries are considered
inadequate.
training opportunities need to
the y are to become viable
then
marketing must be included. The
courses of f ered shou ld be
certif ied so that the y are valid f or
jobs elsewhere.
seemed to be in dif f icult y due to
the living arrangements and the
f act that the y had
to carr y their
water f or bathing and toilet f rom
a hand pump at a distance.
The authorities claim that Rs465
is rather inadequate since the
health needs of the residents are
acute. In addition to this it is rather
dif f icult to get attendants
and
It is obvious that ver y little attempt
is made to update the services in
keeping with the advances in
technolog y and prof essional
changes in the f ield of health care
and old age care. There is
little
attempt to use tra in ing and
knowledge f or the up gradation
of staf f skills and
the homes are
run w ith l imited sign of
prof essionalism.
its donor resources and though
HelpAge India was the initial
partner in the pro ject the
partnership lasted onl y f or
1 year
(1 year grant in 1994).
The home is def initel y not geared
f or the care of the ver y old and
inf irm. It has ne ither the
inf rastructure nor the know-how
required f or care of the inf irm.
Senior Citizen Home
Staf f
visit there were 18
res idents in the
home and almost all
bedridden.
From the inf ormation presented
in Table 4 it is clear that
there are issues regarding the
f unctioning and management of institutions. These ma y be summarized as:
Lack of adequate physical inf rastructure mainly running water in bathrooms and toilets
and unhygienic condition of the toilets.
Lack of trained staf f specif ically
f or the job entrusted to them especially
in pro viding
care and support to the old and inf irm.
Lack of adequate staf f and adequate f unds f or maintenance of f acilities.
Low salaries and delays in recei ving
of f unds.
O ver crowding in the rooms and dormitories leading to unhealthy and unhygienic li ving
conditions. Women li ving the go vernment run homes undertake cooking in their rooms
leading to f umes that may be detrimental to the health of the women.
Lack of vocational training and work opportunities f or those who wish to acquire skills
and work.
17
Lack of adequate means of leisure acti vities. Tele vision appeared as the only means of
entertainment in most homes.
Inf ormation was gathered on all the residents living in the 6 homes and the brief results are
presented in Table 5.
Inf ormation on the Residents in the 6 Homes
Institution
Amar Badi Mahila Ashray Meera Mahila
Sitaram Sadan, All India Womens
Ma Dham Sadan, Chaitanaya Ashray, Bhutgali
Ramanu j Nagar Conf erence,
Criteria Vihar Phase II Taraash Mandir
Total Women 116 250 302 84 48
Widows 64 238 277 84 39
Married 50 10 24 7
Unmarried 2 2 2
41-50 yrs 8 26 36
51-60 yrs 13 86 47 41
61-70 yrs 28 84 143 33 4
71-80 yrs 32 23 41 10 18
81-90 yrs 19 2 7 14
91-100 yrs 4 2 6
Education
Class I-V 14 13 16 38 1
Class VI-X 12 16 1
Class XI-XII 2 3 2
B.A. 2 1
B.A. B.Ed 1
Others Orissa, M.P., U.P., Orissa, M.P., U.P.,
Kuch
Bihar, Orissa, Orissa, Tripura
Assam, Chattisgarh,
U.P., Gu jarat, Assam, Pun jab,
Bihar, Assam, U.P., Tripura
Pun jab Har yana, Chattisgarh U.P., M.P.
Widow 7 134 84 63
None 31 2 24
None 21 11
21-25 4 3 3 6
26-30 4 1 5 1
31-35 3 2 2 1
36-40 3 1 3 5
40 plus 9 1 1 8
The inf ormation presented
in Table 5 reveals that on the whole 800 women are currentl y
residing in the 6 homes run b y the government and NGOs. As is visible f rom chart 1 ma jorit y of the
women live in homes that are
run under
the Meera Sehbhagini and Swadhar
schemes of the
government. The reasons f or
this var y f or example there are
vacancies in Maa Dham, Guild
of services because women do
not pref er living in an area that
is awa y f rom
the cit y and the
home run b y AIWC lacks
adequate inf rastructure. The
government schemes are
located in areas that are close
to
b h a j a n a s h r a m s and
temples, places where the women
like to go f or earning
their pocket
mone y and keeping up with f riends and the world in general. Even though the home run b y Guild
of Services is well maintained and doesn
t require the women to cook f or self , the women do not
like to live there because as the y sa y
its too f ar and one has to wait a long time f or transport that
costs more than we can af f ord
. The Needs Assessment undertaken b y HelpAge
India in which
shelter and mobilit y have emerged
as the two most
important priorities f or
the women also
corroborates this view.
accommodations, ma jorit y of women
living in the homes are widows though
the percentage of married women
is
considerable higher in the rented
categor y. This ma y also be a ref lection
of the changing times
as more and
more women who come to Vrindavan
come because of being abandoned b y
their children and due
to povert y.
Women interviewed b y the team of ten stated “we were so poor and had no assets so coming to
Vrindavan meant suret y of two meals a da y”
Chart 3 shows 39% of the women
living in homes belong to the 61-70 yrs
categor y f ollowed b y 25%
in the 51-
60 yrs and 16% in the
71-80 yrs
categories respectivel y. This implies that
on
the whole ma jorit y of
the women
f all in the categor y
of 50 yrs and
be yond. This f act has
implications f or
health care, ph ysical la yout of buildings
and management of services. Also
important is the f act that not onl y are
the women ‘widows’ but are also
‘senior citizens’ thus making
it the dual responsibilit y of societ y at
large to provide f or the best
possible services f or their support and care.
Chart 4 shows that of the women residing in homes 81% are illiterate. In the case of primar y
data anal ysis 89% of the interviewed women were f ound to be illiterate. Corroborated b y previous
studies in Vrindavan it can be said that combined f actors of a high illiterac y rate and old age are
ma jor hindrances in the planning and execution of skills and income generation programmes among
the women. A
large number of women did sa y
that given
their age and ph ysical condition an
expectation of learning new skills and “working” were not a possibilit y. It is interesting to note that
none of the women considers spending 7-8hrs of b h a j a n singing
in ashrams and begging at the
temples as work
even though it requires them to sit f or long hours and walk long distances in the
earl y mornings and late af ternoons to reach the b h a j a n a s h r a m s and temples. Their rigorous routine
20
to work
as seems to be the common
line of thinking among the personnel running the homes
and schemes f or the women.
Chart 5 shows that 46% of the women living in the homes have arrived in Vrindavan onl y 1-
5 yrs ago. 26% of the women have been in Vrindavan f or the last 6-10 yrs. Even in the case of the
interviewed women 31% of the
women had been in Vrindavan less
than 5 yrs
f ollowed b y 21% in the
6-10 yrs categor y. From th is
inf ormation it appears that the
women cont inue to arr ive in
Vrindavan and are now ver y
likel y
doing so because of being
abandoned b y their children in old
age. It is f act that most
of the
women do have children back
home whom the y visit and
send
their savings to.
Chart 6 shows that 5% of the women living in homes do not hold ration cards. The authorities
21
a case of negligence and dela ys on behalf of the personnel running the homes. 14% of the women
living in the homes do not receive pensions. Again the authorities claim that this is onl y in cases
where the arrivals are
recent. However this claim
is doubtf ul as borne b y
the case of Meera
Sehbhagini Ashram in Bhutgali.
PENSIONS AND RATION SCHEME - AN OVERVIEW
The widows and destitute women who f lock to the b h a j a n a s h r a m s and temples of Vrindavan
were in an earlier time taken care of b y the philanthropists and Gurus who ran the temples and
ashrams but in modern times the government administrative machiner y is also pitching in. Pressurised
b y various laws of the
land and
international agreements the state and district authorities have
taken on the burden of multiple schemes aimed at this population namel y homes, f ood at subsidized
rates under the antoda ya program, old age and widow pensions and at times health care in the
f orm of camps, distribution of wheel chairs, crutches and walking sticks. The Department of Women
and Child Welf are, Ministr y of Social
Justice and Empowerment,
the Department of Food and
Suppl y, the Municipal Corporation of Vrindavan, the Mathura and Vrindavan Development Authorit y
and the District Magistrate all have a role to pla y in the management and care of this marginalized
population.
The banks also have a role in that the y are responsible f or the disbursement of old age and
widow pensions. The banks where most of
the accounts lodge are
the S yndicate Bank, Union
Bank of India, State Bank of India, Zilla Sehkari Bank, Pun jab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Allahabad
Bank, Canara Bank,
Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of
Commerce, State Bank of Bikaner &
Jaipur and Central Bank. Table 6 provides details of the bank accounts provided as per the record
of the of f ice of
the DM, Mathura. The Department of Food suppl y
is responsible f or the ration
scheme that nenef its the women of Vrindavan. It is operationalised through 17 outlets located at
homes, bha jan ashrams and in areas f requented b y the women. The application procedure f or the
ration card requires proof of residence (of ten an undertaking b y the land lord or the home authorit y
as the case ma ybe) and age verif ication (f rom a medical practitioner). Of ten both are a problem
f or the women, who are not in homes, to acquire and at best
the y seek the services of the touts
that of f er them the possibilit y of a ration card f or Rs500.
The ration cardholders
receive 14k.g. of
ration each month. While in
the other parts of
Mathura district the monthl y quota f or ration cardholders is 35 k.g. f or the women it is 14kg. The
authorities claim that this has been f ixed as the women are usuall y without f amil y and the amount
is suf f icient f or them. The women stated that 3 liters of kerosene and 800grams of sugar are rather
insuf f icient and at least the kerosene limit should be raised to 5 liters. The authorities also f eel that
the kerosene limit should be raised to 5 liters per month.
Of the women living
in homes/institutions 5% did not have ration cards while among the
interviewed women, not living in homes/institutions, 58% did not have ration cards. The reasons
given b y the home authorities
range f rom “new entr y” to
“application has been made”. The
interviewed women on the other hand
said, we need proof of
residence and that is almost
are held but still all the women have not been
reached. The y recommend
a door-to-door
surve y f or
the purpose of
identif ication of
women and thereaf ter a single window s ystem
where
in the new arrivals are registered and
those leaving can submit their ration cards.
If one looks at the
primar y data it
emerges that the Pension and Ration Scheme
is reaching the women who reside
in homes
and shelters run b y the government and NGOs
but where the women are living in rented and
open spaces these schemes
are unable to
reach them ef f icientl y. Of the 183 inter viewed
women li ving in rented
accommodation /
temples and ashrams only 22 were recei ving
pensions and 40 had ration
cards. The
secondar y data anal ysis shows that while the
women in homes are getting the pension and
ration there are other issues such as corruption
amongst the home/institution authorities,
listing of names and corresponding account
numbers b y the Welf are Department, related
to ef f icient deliver y of services. Anomalies were
f ound at Meera Sehbhagini Pagal Baba Ashram
and AIWC, Taraash Mandir. In both places man y
of the residents did not have pensions or ration
cards. At the AIWC run home at Taraash Mandir
of f the 48 women living
there onl y 13 were
receiving pensions.
Widow and Old Age Pensions – Bank wise breakup of Accounts
Name of Bank
No of Old Age Pension
No of Widow Pension
Accounts Accounts
Bha jan Kutti Ashram
Bha jan Kuti Ashram is located
at a
distance of mere 2km f rom
the Ram Krishna
Mission Hospital. It
is place of small huts and
old age women who
live as a communit y of
support f or each other. 37 women in the age
grou