Widows of Vrindavan

Vrindavan - the land of Lord Krishna - is considered one of the holiest places for Hindus in India. The temples of the city attract people from across the world, but for the widows of Vrindavan, it is home. For they have nowhere else to go.

'Sati,' the abhorrent cultural practice of a recently widowed woman, either voluntarily or by force, immolating herself on her deceased husband's pyre, was long abolished in 1829 but the condition of widows in the country till date remains pitiful.

Considered inauspicious, many widows are abandoned by their children and relatives. In order to prevent them from inheriting their husbands' property, they are thrown out by their families. In many instances, the widows had to leave the house after facing harsh treatment from their sons and daughters-in-law.

But it is still not clear why Vrindavan attracts widows from all over India, particularly West Bengal. Many come here as genuine pilgrims to devote rest of their lives to Lord Krishna, yet others simply want to escape their ruthless families.

Kalidasi came to Vrindavan 12 years ago. After her husband's death, her son and daughter-in-law started thrashing her over flimsy pretexts. One day, her son forced her to consume rat poison. That is when she decided to leave her family and settle in Vrindavan.

Widow Shobha Soni has a sorry story to tell.

"I suffered a lot after my husband's death. My parents-in-law did not treat me well. They asked me to leave the house immediately upon my husband's death. I could not remarry because I had two daughters. A woman has no value and respect in our society after her husband dies. Considered useless, she is prohibited from participating in family functions. In fact, she is completely dissociated from the family", Soni explains.

Another widow Kalyani Paul has this to say.

"I get some money through clothes-stitching for lord Krishna, but that is not enough. I buy vegetables, milk and other things. I don’t have any other source of income. Stitching is all I do to sustain myself," says Paul.

Taking into account the predicament of widows in Vrindavan, the apex Supreme Court asked National Legal Service Authority (NALSA) to contact non governmental organisation (NGO) Sulabh International to work for their cause.

In 2012, Founder of Sulabh International Dr Bindeshwar Pathak visited Vrindavan to personally meet and understand the condition of widows who were, in most cases, reduced to begging on the streets.

Even now, widows can be spotted begging at Nidhi Van and many other locations. 

“In the beginning, we helped each widow with Rs 1000 but later, as we realised this was not sufficient, we raised the amount to Rs 2000. We have employed teachers to teach them Hindi, English and Bangla, as most of the widows are natives of West Bengal. We also train them in making incense sticks, garlands and dresses for Lord Krishna and deity Radha. Sulabh helps in marketing these goods," says Dr Pathak.

From organising regular medical check-ups and annual trips to Kolkata during 'Durga Puja' and Taj Mahal in Agra, Dr Pathak and his NGO have tried to ensure a normal and joyful life to the widows of Vrindavan.

These widows start their mornings with two-hour Krishna chanting at 7 am. During the daytime, they take care of their personal work or simply relax. The evenings are again dedicated to Krishna chanting.

The widows in shelterhouses of Vrindavan are slowly beginning to gain social acceptance. Some of them celebrate major festivals such as Holi, Diwali and Rakshabandhan with the local people of Vrindavan.

Besides Sulabh, many other NGOs are working together to help improve the condition of widows in the holy town of Vrindavan. But there is a long way to go before these widows can come to have a dignified status in the society. 

For your eyes, and head, only

The Indian tradition of applying 'kajal' on the eyes of small children has been drastically brought down with doctors strictly advising mothers against it. But the practice can still be witnessed in some places where mothers believe that 'kajal' has a cooling effect and helps babies relax. The tradition passes from one generation to the other. 

Pandit Avadhesh Tiwari explains, "the babies are adorable and elders love to play with them. Sometimes this can have a negative impact on babies. In order to protect the baby from evil eye or any negative effect, the 'kajal' is applied. It nullifies the effect of the evil eye. That is why we have this practice of applying 'kajal' in Hinduism.” 

Another ritual of head shaving, commonly known as 'mundan', is also mandatory among Hindus. Some Muslims and native Americans follow it too. The ideal time to perform 'mundan' is between four months and 1.25 years of age, though it may be performed anytime before the child turns three.

Some communities tonsure boys only and no girls. The time and ritual of tonsuring vary from region to region and religion to religion. Some families prefer to perform the ritual in the presence of a priest while others do it at home in the presence of other family members. The ritual involves a big ceremony where relatives and friends are invited to give blessings to the baby. 

According to Hindu scriptures, a soul experiences 84 lakh 'yonis' (births) before coming to the human body, and every 'yoni' leaves some influence on human birth. Head shaving is a gesture that purifies and frees the soul from the past. Some ancient scriptures say that it helps in boosting the growth of nerves and brain.

"When a child is in mother’s womb, he is in an unclean condition with many germs in hair that go into head cells. They are required to be removed with an 'ustra' (razor) for better growth of the brain. Our scriptures say that there are impurities carried from past lives and shaving the head helps one free from the effect of those impurities", adds Pandit Avadhesh Tiwari.

Here we are reporting from Laxmi Narayan temple.

Piplantri goes plant-tree

When it comes to environment protection, women empowerment and employment generation, Rajasthan's Piplantri village has been leading the way in a unique manner.

At a time when stringent legal provisions have failed to check female foeticide and infanticide in the country, a man’s single-handed mission in Rajsamand district's Piplantri village has set an example of incredible change.

The village never welcomed the birth of a girl child. Female foeticide and infanticide were not unusual due to the vicious dowry system rampant in the village.

Then in 2007, the then Sarpanch of Piplantri Shyam Sundar Paliwal lost his 18-year-old daughter Kiran to dehydration and heat stroke. 

Paliwal's personal tragedy led him to reflect on how to save the girl child and, consequently, the environment. He then planted a tree in Kiran's memory. 

Seeing the support and emotions of other villagers at that time, Paliwal asked each family to plant 111 trees on the birth of a girl child. The birth of a daughter which was once considered misfortune became an occasion for celebration.

Significantly, as many as 350,000 trees have so far been planted.

The village 'panchayat' (local administration) looks after these plants so that no effort of the local people goes waste. Several women and self-help groups look after the maintenance on regular basis. 

“The women are making products from Aloe Vera which are then sold in the market. The women are becoming independent. When they become independent, they provide better education to their children. Thousands of girls and women are benefitting from this”, Paliwal emphasised.

Many village panchayats are now following Paliwal's footsteps and replicating the idea in their area.

Every year on the festival of 'Raksha Bandhan', a 'rakhi' (wrist band) is tied to the trees as a symbol of "brotherhood" with nature.

“I treat trees as my brothers because they were planted by my parents when I was born. They help keep the environment pollution free. They give us wood and fruits”, class 10 student Komal Paliwal said.

Besides tree plantation, a fixed bank deposit of Rs 31,000 is created with a contribution of Rs 20,000 by a Trust owned by Shyam Sundar Paliwal. The money, meant for girl’s education and marriage, is withdrawable only when she turns 18.

“I have two daughters. I was happy when my daughter gave birth to a girl child. For me, goddess Laxmi had arrived in my house. A fixed deposit was made at the time of her birth. Our daughters are our pride, not burden”, villager Sosar Devi said.

There is no stopping to Paliwal's unique work and now he wants the whole earth to turn green. 

"Today there are 3,50,000 trees in Piplantri giving employment to people. When so many trees can be planted in Piplantri, I am sure it can be done in other parts of the country as well," Paliwal averred.

Even after she is gone, Shyam Sundar Paliwal's daughter Kiran standing tall with 3,50,000 trees in Piplantri

Free ride for women in DTC, cluster buses.

Women in Delhi can now travel for free on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, courtesy the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The scheme allowing free travel to women in DTC and its cluster buses came into effect on October 29, 2019 on the occasion of 'Bhai Dooj' festival.

Women are issued pink tickets with the face value of Rs 10 which are then reimbursed by Delhi state government to DTC. The government has kept aside Rs 140 crore for implementation of this scheme.

Around 30 lakh travellers use DTC buses everyday and around 12 lakh people use cluster buses. Approximately, a third of these passengers are women. 

So far a total of 1.5 crore pink tickets have been printed. These tickets also bear social messages on women empowerment.

"The free ride will not only empower women financially and logistically, but also help them reclaim public spaces," claims Raghav Chaddha, AAP government spokesperson.

He added that the scheme encourages and incentivises women to use more and more public transport which, in turn, will make public spaces safer for women.

Women from low income group are super excited as they can now travel in even air conditioned buses which they could not afford earlier. Ridership in AC buses will be very high in summers as Delhi is very hot then.

College student Anuradha Mandal says, “I have to travel a lot. It is not easy to shell out Rs 20 each day on bus travel, so this scheme is very beneficial for me. This scheme is a boon for jobless people.”

Housemaker Sheetal Joshi is happy that she can use the money that she earlier spent on bus tickets for her children’s education.

“Women who drop their kids to tuition classes by bus can now save the money and use the same in other productive manner”, Joshi said.

Data from DTC indicates rise of women in DTC buses from thirty per cent earlier to forty per cent now. The number will go much higher as more and more people become aware of the scheme.

According to DTC bus driver Bharat Lal, the number of women in the bus he drives has risen dramatically. The total number of passengers in his bus has risen from roughly 60 per cent to 90 per cent.

There are around 5,600 DTC and cluster buses in which women can avail free ride. As many as 13000 marshals, along with 6000 civil defence personnel, Home Guards and ex-servicemen have been trained and deployed in buses to ensure safety of women. 

Consultant from Urban Catalyst Sonal Shah talks about ensuring safety of women in buses. 

"We need major emphasis on gender sensitisation training for transport service provider. In peak hours when buses are badly crowded, a woman may or may not raise alarm even if she feels sexually harassed or groped. Having marshals in bus alone won’t solve the problem. Women should feel comfortable approaching a marshal who is a male. There should be more women in transport sector because women feel safer complaining to women, instead of men,” says Shah.

She suggests a provision where women and men board and alight the bus from two different gates so that there is no or less scope of sexual harassment.

Measures such as ample street lighting at night and effective patrolling along public transport corridor are key to women safety.

Shah extols the benefits of the Delhi government's scheme to allow free travel in DTC buses.

“Women will be immensely benefitted by this scheme. It is the first time that a state government has taken such a bold step. It is indeed commendable”, she adds.

Yours truly travelling in DTC bus.

Man digs pit for dead daughter at cremation site, finds newborn girl buried alive

In Indian society, the girls always play second fiddle to the boys. The male child, when grown, is expected to contribute to family income whereas the girl child is always considered a "property of another" as, when married, she leaves her parental house. 

Recently, a live newborn girl was found inside a large earthen pot buried three-feet under a cremation ground in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. She was discovered by a family which had gone there to bury their still born baby. 

“Our baby’s head had not fully developed. We were advised to abort it. As we went to dig a grave for the baby, our spade got stuck in a bag. As we took that out, we found a living girl inside who looked very weak and tiny. Her condition revealed that she was dumped there for days. We gave her milk with the help of cotton and got her admitted to a hospital in order to save her life. It was our duty to save this girl”, said Puja Chowdhary, who accompanied her husband Hitesh Sirohi to the cremation ground.

The infant was first admitted to District Hospital, but later, on request of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Rajesh Mishra, was shifted to Ravi Khanna New Born Critical Care Centre. Dr Ravi Khanna is personally monitoring the condition of the baby.

“She was just 1200 grams when brought here. I believe she was underneath the mother earth for 2-3 days. She was dehydrated, suffered from septicaemia and hypoglycaemia. She had no fat on her face, abdomen and thighs. Her glucose level was 4 which should not be less than 40. Her platelet count was 10,000 only. The infection had spread to every part of her body. But she had to survive and she did”, said Dr Ravi Khanna. 

In order for her to be kept cosy, she is being given heat with radiant warmer. Initially, she was given IV fluids for hydration and glucose but now she is receiving IV antibiotics to clear infection from the blood and the brain. 

“She is responding well to the treatment. In the last 10 days, she has gained 400 grams. This is an incredible child”, said Dr Khanna.

Significantly, BJP leader Mishra, who is paying for the medical expenses of the baby, has expressed strong keenness to adopt the child. 

Meanwhile, Dr Khanna is leaving no stone unturned to educate people about the importance of girls in a society.

"We try to give financial support to every poor family that brings a girl child for checkup and treatment. I tell them about various government schemes such as 'Beti Bachao Beti Padao' (Save Girl Child, Educate Girl Child) initiative of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Girls receive financial support when they are born and they receive support at many stages of life till the time they get married. I tell them girls are assets for a family and society, and not burden as always believed. We have to get rid of primitive belief that God takes care of girl child and so parents dont need to care about her,” Dr Khanna added.

He lamented existence of thousands of villages in various states of India which had extremely poor sex ratio.

“We don’t want Uttar Pradesh to be like Haryana and Rajasthan where men are unable to find women to get married to due to poor sex ratio,” Dr Khanna stated.

A girl completes a family. A girl completes a society. Save the girl child. Save the future of humanity. 

 The plight of Kashmiris

On October 10, the Jammu and Kashmir government lifted the advisory that had earlier asked tourists to stay out of Kashmir. Kashmir is now thrown open for tourists with local people desperately waiting for the visitors. There are 965 houseboats in Dal Lake which have been vacant since August 5. There are scores of people who are solely dependent on income from tourism. Now they borrow money from friends and relatives for survival.

Normalcy is somewhat back in Kashmir. Roads look busy with people and vehicles but shops in many areas remain shut after 10 am. 

Some markets stay open the whole day under police protection. Small-time fruits and vegetable hawkers throng the market. Some tourist spots are not fully open due to poor footfall.

“In the absence of the internet, it is impossible to assure tourists and travel agents that Kashmir is safe for outsiders. We lost touch with travel agents in other states who used to send tourists here”, says houseboat owner Gulam Rasool.

Internet kiosks have been opened at many tourist locations but foreign tourists complain of not being able to access email because the one-time password to open the account comes on the phone and the SMS service is not functional at the moment. They, therefore, are unable to email their loved ones.

Lisa Martin, a tourist from Ireland, says, “we are here to support the tourism and the local people. This place is beautiful that everyone should come and see. Local people are very supportive in every way. The only problem is I am disconnected from my family. I can't tell them I am fine. Some places remain shut even now. I would like to visit again to see the places now shut."

Another tourist Mamuni Pradhan from Kolkata says she was astonished to see the beauty of Kashmir and hospitality of Kashmiris.

On being asked if she supported the government’s decision of abrogation of Article 370, she said, “yes, Kashmir is part of India and it should have same Constitution and rules as other states."

Gulam Rasool, a houseboat owner shares his plight after the government issued advisory on August 2 asking tourists to stay away from the region.

"With almost zero income and unending expenses such as electricity bills, maintenance of houseboats, school fees for children etc., many men are avoiding to even shave to save money," Gulam says, laughing.

The economy came to a standstill in the last two months as it majorly depended upon tourism and horticulture, and that generated zero income.

“The economy of Kashmir valley has always been in bad shape. There have always been untoward incidents happening here, sometimes it is flood, sometimes other disruptions. The valley remained closed for months altogether. Our economy was never bustling. But abrogation of Article 370 was the last straw. Despite Kashmir being so beautiful, it could never earn as much other states did. The tourist volume in 1985-86 was 10-11 lakh and the number in 2017-18 is still the same," says a Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries official on condition of anonymity.

The exact amount of loss to apple farmers and tourism industry will only be known later.

According to Hamid Wangoo, Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association president, the shutdown of the valley resulted in a loss of Rs 200 crores to houseboat owners and Rs 75 crores to 'shikarawalas' (houseboat owners).

Likewise, apples are rotting in the orchids due to zero phone connectivity and consequently no transportation.

Gulam Mohammad collects plucked apples at his orchard

“God knows how we are managing our day-to-day expenses. We finished all the money we had, now we borrow from friends and relatives, but for how long will we depend on them. We have not been able to contact dealers to buy our apples. The politicians have done nothing for us and will do nothing in future. We only have hopes from God”, says Gulam Mohammad who owns an apple orchid.

Speaking of tourism, there are two categories of people in Kashmir: one, those who want more and more tourists to come so that they earn money. That is how they earn their livelihood and feed their families. They are friendly and welcoming to tourists, no matter where they are coming from. Two, big traders and shop owners who can afford to keep their shops shuttered and continue protesting. They do not want to see non-Kashmiris in the valley.

The local people continue to hate media, specifically Indian media. With the belief that we are biased media, we were not allowed to shoot in many places by the local people.

All our attempts to interview government officials on camera failed. One official, instead of refusing, outrightly blocked my phone number. Should that make me laugh or feel embarrassed? Don't know.

India all set to ban single use plastic

India is all set to impose a countrywide ban on use of single-use plastic. The country consumes 14 million tonnes of plastic annually. The ban on these items will clip 5 per cent to 10 per cent from this total annual consumption.

Since people will be allowed to adopt alternatives during this period, there will be no penalty for the first six months.

“First six months are meant for adapting to the new settings. During this period, multiple awareness campaigns will take place. Social workers will visit school and colleges to educate students about harmful effects of single use plastic”, said BJP leader Bijay Sonkar.

The ban will be imposed from October 2, the birth anniversary of Father of Indian Nation Mahatma Gandhi. There will be no fine in first six months.

In his Independence Day speech on August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged common people and government agencies to come together and help India free from single use plastic.

This will be a total ban on manufacturing, usage and import of such items.

A few states have already banned polythene bags. Now the government is all set for stricter environmental standards for plastic items and will push for the use of recyclable plastic only. E-commerce companies will also be asked to cut back on plastic packaging which makes up to 40 per cent of India's yearly plastic consumption.

“We have been campaigning for plastic eradication for two years. It is very easy to convince people from lower strata to not use plastic. Those belonging to middle and elite class learn when their own children ask them to abandon use of single use plastic. That is why we are trying to bring change through children. They are the frontrunners of this campaign”, says Benu Malhotra, founder of Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) 'Parvaah’.

The NGO provides free cotton bags to vegetable vendors and urges them to not use plastic. They are also provided with free sheds as incentive.

Seventeen-year-old student Raghvendra Lahoti urges people of Sarvodaya Enclave to take pledge to throw plastic out of the system. 

There is rising concern about plastic-caused pollution worldwide, with major focus on the oceans where about 50 per cent of single-use plastic products land, killing marine life and making the entry into the human food chain.

The European Union (EU) aims to ban single-use plastic products such as straws, knives, forks and cotton buds by 2021.

The single-use plastic is any plastic that is used once and can’t be re-used such as plastic bags, straws, cups, glasses, plates, sachets etc.

In landfills, plastic can take up to 1000 years to decompose. Plastic bags take 10-1000 years while plastic bottles can take 450 years or more to decompose. Straws take up to 200 years to biodegrade.

Raghvendra explains to me why awareness against use of plastic is the need of the hour.

Hope the government’s initiative succeeds in curbing plastic menace in the country.

God is here ❤️

Teri dhun mein aise kho jaun, mujhe dikhe na tujh bin aur koi. 

Kar mehar deedar de, teri ho jaun, tujhe pa jaun. 

When you close eyes, you see everything. 

When I close eyes, I see you. 

With my eyes seeing you, I see everything. 

I need you and I have you.

Na tujhse koi pehle, na tere koi baad. 

Rok de jo samay, thaama meine wo haath.

Khoyi jo duniya mein, tujhe hi kho diya, 

Dhoonda bahut par kahin tu mila nahi. 

Fir chhaya ek aisa suroor, 

Jahaan bhi dekha, bass paya tera hi noor. 

Yahaan bhi mein, vahaan bhi mein. 

Tere andar mein, tere bahar mein. 

Dukh tere ka tu hai kaaran, 

Kar pyaar mujhe, kar dun mein nivaaran. 

Kashmir after 370 revocation

It’s not as peaceful as it appears. People have come out but they are enraged. They are only waiting for Eid to pass off peacefully. They feel helpless as they are confined to their homes most of the time. There is a total curfew in South Kashmir, Central and North Kashmir and downtown.

“Earlier some people in Kashmir supported India but now no one does,” says one of the guys we interviewed.

Our team was shooed away from many places with an assumption that we are from Indian media. As we explained to them we are from foreign media, they started interacting with us.

They are not against Indian media, they literally hate Indian media. They say they trust only NDTV.

Fearing attack, our radio colleague interviews with helmet on.

Indian media is accused of not showing the right picture of Kashmir. “Nothing is peaceful here. We are not allowed to speak and Indian media is showing only a fake picture,” says a software engineer.

Another guy said,” India could not change sentiments of Kashmiris in the last 70 years, how do you expect them to do that now! We want freedom and we will continue to fight for that.”

People started stocking essentials as they learnt that more troop were sent in, Amarnath yatra was cancelled and schools had to be shut.

“We knew something wasn’t right on the government’s part. The Governor, Satya Pal Malik lied to us by saying it had nothing to do with articles 370 and 35A. This was a total breach of trust.”

“At this moment, I have stock that will last 8 days, what after that?”

It was not all negative everywhere.

Mohammad Ishaad said he was happy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision because he wants growth. It is time to grill politicians who stashed away money while in power at the cost of growth of Kashmir. “People in Kashmir are not happy but it is important that we welcome this change for our own betterment”.

Mobile and internet service remain suspended. The hotel we stayed in had media facilitation centre set up by the government from where TV channels could broadcast news via satellite.

Development commissioner Shahid Choudhary told us they have made elaborate and foolproof arrangements keeping in view prevailing situation. The district remains in partial curfew and more decisions will be taken after revaluation of the situation. Mobiles services are hoped to be restored soon.

Women soldiers near Shahid Choudhary's residence

The situation on the ground doesn’t seem to be alright. People are in a rage and waiting to vent their pent up anger. We hope nothing untoward happens.

Happy Eid!

Murky Bandi

The water in Bandi river in Rajasthan's Pali district has turned remarkably blue. The river acquired this hue as a direct result of the large quantity of effluents discharged into it by approximately 500 nearby textile dyeing factories. The presence of effluents has contaminated the river course and groundwater along the banks uptil as far as 55 kms and made the water unfit for drinking and irrigation.

In 2008, a study of groundwater in Pali by the Centre for Science and Environment found eighty per cent of the sample water to be unfit for drinking. It also found acute contamination of wells due to discharge of half of the town’s untreated effluent.

The samples showed high alkaline and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) levels indicating significant massive organic impurities. The quantity of total dissolved solids was four times greater than the normal.

After the fabric is dyed in textile dyeing factories, the excess chemical water is sent to the effluent treatment plant to maintain right amount of COD, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS). 

The chemical-laden water emanating from dyeing factories entering common effluent treatment plant. After treatment, this water is discharged into the Bandi river. 

"Roughly 25 years ago, this land was green. Vegetables and fruits could be seen all over. People from nearby villages would come to get water and vegetables from here. Now since it is barren, we are completely ruined with no means of employment. Everyone is leaving the village to work in other states," says 77-year-old local villager Nathu Daan.

In May 2018, while hearing a 2012 petition filed by Mahavir Sukarlai of Pali’s community-based organisation 'Kisan Paryavaran Sangharsh Samiti', the National Green Tribunal declared the water of Bandi River unsuitable for irrigation on the basis of inspection report presented by its surveillance committee. 

The report found the level of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the groundwater in the area to be 9,000 mg/l, compared to 400-1,600 mg/l in the surrounding area, and held the textile dyeing units responsible for polluting the river as well as the groundwater. 

The contamination is still persisting inspite of 2012 Rajasthan High Court ruling that prohibits release of treated or untreated water in the Bandi river.

The National Green Tribunal instructed union Agriculture Secretary and Rajasthan state government to evaluate the loss incurred by the farmers due to the damage done to the agricultural land as a result of water contamination. The purpose was to determine the accurate amount of compensation for the farmers.

The village elders hopelessly discuss how to resolve the water crisis. They demand zero liquid discharge from factories and cleaning of river so that soil around the river becomes fertile again and they can enjoy their right to live.

Working on this story was not easy because of extreme heat condition, but here we are. 

Ciao.

German cow activist allowed to stay in India

Friederike Irina Bruening, who has devoted her life to the service of the ailing and abandoned cows, has finally been allowed to stay in India after intervention from the Narendra Modi government.

Last week, after her request for a visa extension was denied, Bruening threatened to return the top civilian award 'Padma Shri' that she had received in recognition for her work towards cow protection.

Following this, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter announcing that she had asked for a detailed report in the matter. On Monday, Bruening received a new visa allowing her to continue to stay in India.

"We have around 1,800 cows in our shelter at the moment. Five to fifteen cows are brought in every day," says Bruening.

Living in India for last 25 years, Bruening, 61, has spent around USD 225,000 from her own pocket on running the cow shelter. The monthly cost of running the shelter is around USD 45,000.

Many of the cows brought in there are visually impaired or wounded in road accidents, while some are sick after having consumed large amounts of plastic waste. Fifty per cent of cows that come in usually die.

Bruening, who is now known as Sudevi Dasi after having converted to Hinduism, says “killing a cow is the worst thing one can do.”

The cow protection movement has been a religious and political movement in India aiming to protect cows, whose slaughter has been broadly opposed by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs.

The laws prohibiting slaughter and consumption of beef have been strengthened in the country, prompting people to abandon their old and week cows which they earlier used to sell for slaughter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said cows were an important part of India’s tradition and culture.

Meri Zindagi - the band with a difference

The unique 'Meri Zindagi' band is known for its soul-stirring songs centering around issues such as female education, gender justice and equality.

What makes this six-member band extraordinary is that it comprises only women who play on the electric guitar, the synthesiser and the drums.

Keeping away from Bollywood singles, the band focuses on songs that address social issues and advocate women empowerment.

While performing at 'Kumbh Mela' this year, the band highlighted the malpractice of child marriage.

“One out of every five girls in Uttar Pradesh (UP) is a child bride. All her aspirations and dreams die the moment she gets married. With our songs, we wanted to question the relevance of this practice. The audience understands, interacts and appreciates when they listen to such songs. Many people inspired by the lyrics met me after the performance and showered praises on us,” says band's founder and lead singer-songwriter Jaya Tiwari.

In 2010, when they had just begun, getting the audience was a hard task. The number of people who turned up in their shows was quite discouraging. The band could not even afford to buy basic musical instruments. But this did not deter them from their ambition to perform.

Today, 'Meri Zindagi' is UP's first and only rock band that sings melodious songs about equality, girl education, male dominance, justice, female foeticide and domestic violence.

Tiwari came up with the idea of forming the band after noticing how baby boys at an orphanage were adopted immediately while girls had no takers.

“Over a period of time, I realised that the only babies left at the orphanage were girls. Depressed, I began to think about how I could bring change in the people's attitude,” recollects Tiwari.

The best way to empower these girls was to form a band and make some of them part of it. Unfortunately, it did not work out.

She then started looking for like-minded instrumentalists to form the band. The first to be auditioned was Tiwari's own student Niharika Dubey.

"Jaya knew me but that gave me no added advantage and to pass the audition was mandatory", says Dubey who plays synthesiser.

Later more girls joined the band. At that time, the band owned no musical instrument other than a guitar. Having no money, they picked up whatever they could find to create some music — spoons, glasses, plates, bowls and tongs. In order to ensure that some of the band members who happened to be college students did not miss classes, they would practice in the parks early in the morning.

Gradually, people started taking notice of this women-only band. Youtube and Facebook took the fame of songs such as ‘mai ri mera byah na rachana’ to another level. The song asks mothers to give girls a chance to live their dreams instead of getting them married at a young age. The motive is to encourage girls to believe in themselves and not be merely confined to the kitchen.

The band's gut-wrenching song on female foeticide ‘teri galiyon mein na aayenge kabhi is raat ke baad, maa, meri maa’ went viral to the extent that they started receiving invitations from organisations such as UNICEF, Breakthrough, BBC Media Action, WaterAid India and State unit of Mahila Samakhya - the autonomous government organisation working for women’s empowerment.

So far, the band has composed over 70 songs for women helpline 1090 and UP Women Police. Besides, they also support the education of needy and poor girls in UP's capital Lucknow.

“I feel proud to be associated with this band because I have not seen any band that practises what it preaches,” says Anamika Jhunjhunwala, 17, the youngest member at the drums.

Interestingly, some young members of the band had to leave because of academic compulsions. They were replaced by other ambitious musicians like guitarist Poorvi Malviya, and vocalists Swastika and Saubhagya.

Though the trio has now moved out of Lucknow to complete their post-graduation, they still continue to be a part of the band because for them music is their life and only with this can they bring a change in the society.

Minimum polling in maximum security

Khalid Jehangir addresses the small gathering in Kangan in Ganderbal district. 

We had arrived two days before the polling day. This was the last day for campaigning and not many people came out to listen to their leaders due to incessant rain. 

Election observers feel that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not perform well in Kashmir in 2019 general elections despite the fact that the party won many seats in last year’s municipal and panchayat (local body) polls. The good performance was a result of the poll boycott call by the two main regional parties from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) — the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

All the poll-related advertisements issued by BJP are green in colour with not even a trace of saffron. People in Kashmir feel closer to green because of its association with Islam and Pakistan. Many believe that green was Prophet Mohammad’s favourite colour. Green is also the colour of the Pakistani flag.

And finally, D Day. 

Srinagar reported a total turnout of 14.05 per cent during polls on Thursday. Total turnout in 2017, when NC's Omar Abdullah won the seat, was a mere 7.13 per cent. 

Maximum polling booths in state capital Srinagar and outskirts remained empty and looked abandoned as people chose to stay away from polling. 

While a massive poll boycott was observed in areas falling under Srinagar old city and Budgam constituencies, Ganderbal district saw low voting.

According to reports, as many as 50 polling stations saw not a single voter turning up. Majority of these booths stood in Khanyar, Habba Kadal and Eidgah constituencies. 

The day witnessed total shutdown called by leaders of several Kashmiri separatist groups against the elections, internet gag, clashes and tight security arrangements by the authorities. 

All the shops and other business establishments remained shut.

The streets and roads appeared deserted as public transport went off the roads. 

Fortunately, no untoward incident took place during polling which was conducted amid tight security due to a boycott call by separatists and threats by militants.

With this, we sign off. Have a great day.