Discarding Veils, Embracing Change: Rajasthan’s Extraordinary Sarpanch

Environment Matters: Why Women From This Village Can't Cook Dal

The Kindness Of Strangers Gets You Free Food, Rides, Artifacts

Some Hope And Cheer For The Widows of Varanasi

Power With Piety: An Old St Petersburg Convent’s Compelling History

Money To Spare? Sponsor A Happy Period

Kashmir Is On The Finger Tips, Thanks To Mehvish's Android App

Women Ensure Water, Water Everywhere - Even in the Thar Desert

Change Is What? Meet The Any Time Money College Kids

New Orleans To Bengal, Novelist Fatima Shaik Tells Her Story

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India
Some Hope And Cheer For The Widows of Varanasi
Aasha Khosa

Jamuna Devi became a bride at the age of nine and a widow at 18. Now at 80 plus, she has spent her last 60 years on the banks of River Ganga in Varanasi, an ancient seat of Hinduism in Uttar Pradesh. Jamuna's younger sister, Ratna Devi, has also been with her for many years now after she was spurned by her husband, who took a second wife. For centuries, the narrow bylanes of Varanasi – as well as other towns like Vrindavan and Mathura – have been a refuge for widows like Jamuna and Ratna, who have been shunned and deserted by their families. Here, they pray, sing bhajans and live off the food given by visiting pilgrims. Their sole ambition is to die on the banks of the Ganga – for them death seems to be the only way out of a lifetime of sorrow and poverty. But it seems like these forgotten women have got a new source of support. Spurred by a Supreme Court directive, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak's Sulabh International is drawing up plans to restore dignity and purpose to their lives.

"The government gives Rs 50 as monthly medical allowance for each woman. This is not even enough to pay the doctor's fees."

[Photographs Available]

Power With Piety: An Old St Petersburg Convent’s Compelling History
Sudhamahi Regunathan

Russia’s royals were hardly paragons of marital loyalty. But what happened when the tsars of yore wanted to “change” their wives? From all available evidence, women within royal households experienced two sources of insecurity – as wives whose husbands had found new love interests or as princesses who could not get suitable spouses. What happened to these women? They were left with their rosaries in a nunnery. The Novodevichiy Convent in St. Petersburg was a refuge for several of them. Today, this grand building with its Byzantine tombs towers over much of the city. Its history is also the history of several great Russian noblewomen, many of whom defied custom and chose the road less travelled, while others bore the indignities that came their way with fortitude and dignity.

“We have been yearning to dedicate our lives to God and have heard stories of how our grand aunts did just that. I am grateful I have got an opportunity to do this now.”

[Photographs Available]

India
Money To Spare? Sponsor A Happy Period
Alka Pande

‘Do you have a thousand rupees to spare? How would you like to spend the money? Buy movie tickets and enjoy an evening out with friends or sponsor four women for a year to help protect their dignity?’ That is how Goonj, a voluntary organisation, is motivating people to pay for the yearly supply of sanitary napkins for four poor women across 21 Indian states, including Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. Once a woman is sponsored, she gets a bag containing 60 reusable cloth sanitary napkins (five for each month), a small pouch to store them hygienically, a soap and a panty. In addition, she is made aware about reproductive health and hygiene issues. Today, over 50,000 people have come forward to lend a helping hand to better the lives of thousands of women and adolescent girls. And here’s why their contribution is so significant – according to a recent study, the lack of means is forcing over 300 million women and girls to use unhygienic materials such as old rags and newspapers, husk and even sand during their periods, making them vulnerable to infections of all kinds.

‘We collect old and discarded clothes from corporate houses, organisations and individuals. This is then washed and dried in the sun for making sanitary napkins. Nearly 200,000 napkins are produced every month.’

[Photographs Available]

India
Kashmir Is On The Finger Tips, Thanks To Mehvish's Android App
Sana Altaf

Meet 23-year-old Mehvish, the first Kashmiri woman to develop an android application. She didn't have any particular advantage, didn't attend any elite college or university. All she had was an interest in technology and a degree in computer science. When she had to come up with a project for an online course on developing applications, she came up with the idea of 'Dial Kashmir', which provides users detailed information they are constantly in search of, like addresses, phone numbers and email ids of various essential services and government departments in Kashmir. Today, 'Dial Kashmir' is a one-stop source for information on healthcare, education, transport, police and many other sectors. It has witnessed an average rating of 4.7 out of 5, with a thousand plus downloads on Google Play.

"I want to contribute to the place of my birth. I do not want to move out of Kashmir to study or work."

[Photographs Available]

India
Women Ensure Water, Water Everywhere - Even in the Thar Desert
Renu Rakesh

Across hundreds of villages that dot Jalore, Barmer and Jaisalmer districts in Rajasthan's Marwar region, generations of women have been burdened with the daily ordeal of water collection. While rainfall here is sparse, the groundwater is saline, leading to severe scarcity of potable water. The disappearance of traditional water-harvesting systems has only exacerbated the problem. Today, however, some hamlets are faring better simply because their women decided to take things into their own hands. In Barwa-Gopalwadi in Jalore district and Sambhra village in Barmer, the local community, spurred by its women, has pooled in their collective knowledge to set up a system that has enabled them to get "Bisleri-like water" in their backyards. While a recharge well has come to Gopalwadi's rescue, increasing the capacity of the local Kumhariya pond has resolved the crisis in Sambhra.

"We wanted everyone to be part of it so that there was a true sense of ownership. Those who didn't have money were given the option of contributing by working on the site."

[Photographs Available]