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Help Laxmi Gautam to provide a home to the widows in Vrindavan

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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.

Even the police of Vrindavan call for Lakshmi Gautam when they see an old woman on the streets or an unclaimed female body. She works for dignity and rights of widows in the birthplace of Lord Krishna — Vrindavan. These women have no place to go back to and nobody to call their own. These are women who have either been abandoned by their families or have come to Vrindavan for spiritual reasons. Though thousands of people visit Vrindavan’s temples every day, nobody bothers about these women.

“I am the daughter of Vrindavan. Since childhood, I have seen these women on the road, just sitting and waiting for their death. They had no place to go to or food to eat. They begged for two morsels of food. They were treated differently just because they were widows. I always wondered what sins they committed that they had to end their lives like this? After death, nobody cared to conduct their last rites. I then took it upon myself to try to improve their condition,” says Laxmi.

A young girl being brought up in the family of ‘teerth purohit’ (priest) in the lanes of Vrindavan always had queries whenever she saw women wearing white sarees with their heads shaven. “As my father was a religious person, I was curious about these widows having shaven heads, wearing white sarees and deprived of worldly pleasures. At the age of 8, I got the answers to my questions from a 70-year-old widow,” she recalls. “I lost my husband when I was your age, is what the woman replied when I asked her this question,” says Gautam. “This moved me and I started thinking of doing something for the widows. This brought a change in me but I continued with my studies and won gold medal in history from Agra University. I completed PhD in History and Hindi before joining the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Vrindavan, as associate professor,” she says.

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. She is taking overall care of around 35 widows in two small shelter homes. Without much financial help, Dr Gautam looks after the widows on her own.

Now Dr. Laxmi is looking for support to provide a safe and loving home to the many widows of Vrindavan. The current facilities are not adequate and Dr. Laxmi struggles with the expenses. With your help, she can continue her work and build a home with adequate facilities and large enough to house many more of these widows who are left to fend for themselves after their husbands are dead.

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UPI: givetolaxmigautam3@yesbankltd (Copy to clipboard)

Virtual account name: Laxmi Gautam - Milaap
Account number: 8080811055882
IFSC code: YESB0CMSNOC

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8th October 2019

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for your kind gesture and support.

We are glad to inform that an ambulance has been bought to carry out the ancillary services.Moreover land also has been bought to accomodate shelter for the elderly women.
Recently a Pregnant foreigner woman was found in Vrindavan and her delivery was successful.
Continue your support as every contribution matters to them.

Regards,
Dr. Laxmi Gautam

29th June 2019

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for your kind gesture and support.

With the aim of fulfilling the continual and expanding food and shelter needs of elderly Matas in Vrindavan, a small piece of land is bought on partial deferred payment basis.

Seeking your continual support.

23rd January 2019

Dear Supporters,

Thank you all for supporting this cause.

Earlier this week we had found a woman and brought her in and gave her fresh clothes, food etc. She had been abandoned. Earlier this month, during the festival of Sankranti, we celebrated 'Khichdi Utsav' by donating soap, oil, food items, fruits, sweets, shawls, etc.

In the future, we are looking at buying an ambulance as that is our main goal. Please keep supporting us!

Regards,
Dr. Laxmi