When the voiceless sing

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna 8212; the chanting was loud in the hall, but did not seem to be coming from most mouths. Most wore lost looks. O...

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna 8212; the chanting was loud in the hall, but did not seem to be coming from most mouths. Most wore lost looks. Out of a hundred-odd inmates around, some ten seemed involved. The rest were only waiting listlessly for the clock to strike 10.30 am.

They had gathered at 6.30 am and would gather again at 4 pm for four hours. Eight hours of Krishna love for these people would enable them to get five rupees, two 50-gm portions of rice and a bit of pulses. Enough for their existence! The only 8220;sins8221; these hapless inmates condemned to love Krishna day and night are guilty of is that they are old and widowed. In fact, they look even older than they actually are, thanks to rank poverty.

There are two thousand-odd widows 8212; most of them from West Bengal 8212; in Vrindavan, who suffer Krishna bhajans eight hours a day just to stay at subsistence levels. They roam around aimlessly, sometimes as beggars on the streets, before retiring into some temple at night. I chatted with one Vrindavan inhabitant and asked him how these women faced fatigue and ill-health. He answered grimly, 8220;They hardly get any medical treatment8230;They simply die.8221; He added, 8220;Their life is truly tough and painful.8221;

The charity extended to them is in such modulated doses that it allows them to merely exist, not live. Truly dehumanising is their lot. But since they are voiceless, they continue to suffer. In fact their situation will not change unless the rest of us respond to their plight. We believe in the transient nature of life and relationships, then why must a woman be punished in this way for the loss of her partner? And why is it that men are not subject to the same fate? Why aren8217;t they made to wear white and soulessly chant 8220;Krishna, Krishna8221;?

To love Krishna from the depths of one8217;s soul is, and always will, remain the highest ideal for any Hindu. Meera is, and will remain, the pinnacle of all female forms. But can you feel that love if it is your only means for subsistence? To make these women sing Krishna bhajans in this manner is harsh and cruel. Love emanates from the soul. It cannot be chained on the soul. I am sure by doing such things we are only annoying Krishna. We must realise these widows have as much a right to live as we have. They have as much a right to enjoy live to the full, as the rest of us have. They have as much a right to leisure and a comfortable old age, as we have.

Our duty towards them should not merely stop at feeding them and providing them with shelter. Let them be what they wish to be. If they have love for Krishna in their souls, let them discover that great gift 8212; but for Krishna8217;s sake. Let us not starve them in order that they express this love of Krishna. Let them live their lives on their terms.