For a week, I visited the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh. The place is very well known being the birthplace of Lord Krishna. Many pilgrims from the world over come to visit this place and nowadays the Ashram is on the touristic tour. Pilgrims do visit this Ashram where over 2000 widows are being helped. To be helped though they need to pray. They get a token every time they attend the prayer room to sing Bhajan Kritan, giving them the right to a free meal..
15.12.07
22.8.07
Street
A widows in a Vrindavan's street, a common sigth. So many widows leave in that town.
The words in Hindi behind means "Rada Krishna",
Krishna's birthplace is Vrindavan
Going Home
A widow going back home from the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram where 2000 widows come everyday to pray.
Sometime heavy rain makes thing more difficult.
Home
Some widows drying off their clothing home. They rent a room, 200 meters away from the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan.
Going Home
Widows leaving the sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan. It's located in the Loi bazar, next to the Ghats and the Yamuna river.
Last moments
A widow thinking as I was leaving the ashram in Vrindavan. One of the last images I took there.
Wondering what she was thinking after having seen me everyday for 6 days
Leaving the Ashram
Widows leaving the Ashram at the end of the Prayers.
For the Italian readers, an article in Monday's "Corriere della Sera" :
archivio.corriere.it/archiveDocumentServlet.jsp?url=/docu...
Prava Dotto
Prava Dotto from Bakura Medripur. A widow from west bengal looking outside the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram
Singing
Widows raising their arms when singing Bhajan Kritan in one of the buildings of the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan.
Prayers
Widows during a morning prayer , before the lunch they will get free after the 4 hours singing session. In another building of the Sri bagwan Bhajan ashram
Bhajan Kirtan
Widows singing Bhajan Kirtan, a form of prayer inside the Bagwan bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan. This woman was doing a strange noise with her tongue a bit like the one women do in Morocco...
Leader
One of the leader of the Widows, she is singing Bhajan, but mostly she is trying to push the other one to sing louder and louder..
21.8.07
Aamar Bari Ashram
Aruthi Maity, a widow from Medripur, West bengal staying inside her room at the Aamar Bari Ashram in Vrindavan. This Ashram is totally different from the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram. Widows have a room there and are feeded, no links attached..
Headquartered at Delhi's Qutub Institutional Area, the Guild has established a home for the widows of Vrindavan, Amar Bari, where the women live in the comfort of companionship and care, learning skills that help them gain economic independence and confidence. Most of the women at Amar Bari are from West Bengal. Dr. V. Mohini Giri has served as Chairperson of the Guild of Service since 1979, a social service organization which, among its projects, helps the displaced widows of India.
Token
A widow distributing the token for the other widows, at the entrance of the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram, to prove they attend the singing and prayers, a way for them to get a few roupies and a free meal.
Corriere
For the Italian readers, an article in yesterday's "Corriere della Sera" about Vrindavan's Widows...
archivio.corriere.it/archiveDocumentServlet.jsp?url=/docu... a
archivio.corriere.it/archiveDocumentServlet.jsp?url=/docu... a
Details
Booghamathi coming out to fetch water at the pump in front of the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan.
Meal Time
Some widows eating after having been in line to get their free food, inside the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan.
On the left, Onita, she gives water to passers by and next to her Bhoogamita, both from West Bengal.
Out
Once they get their free meal, the Widows go out trough a back door of the Ashram and they go to another room to eat quietly.
FOOD
Widows getting free meal at the Sri bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan.
A refuge for about 2000 widows.
Mataji
Mataji waiting in line for a free meal of Dal and Rice.
Shot during meal time in the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan.
I kind of liked Mataji and the Indian Flag on the bag..
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Food.
A young girl helping her aunty to distribute free food for the widows at the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan.
Line for food
Widows in line in a small alley where they will get their free meal. The scene is like that everyday. When they sing and pray in the main room of the Ashram in front of a temple, they earn a free meal and some roupies. They pray every morning and afternoon. They are given a token that will give in exchange for the meal.
http://www.claude renault.fr
Line for food.
Widows waiting in line to get their free meal, at 11 AM, following the morning Bhajan Kirtan.
Savitri
Savitri going to place herselve in line to get free food : a bit of vegetable, Dal and Chapatis. By coming singing and praying everyday, twice a day she can get the free food and some roupies.
Komala
Komala, a widow from West Bengal near the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan. She was coming out of the Ashram and complaining to me about her arm hurting her. It was monsoon time and some rain was coming.
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Kalavathy
Kalavathy, a widow is washing her feet at one entrance of the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram before going back in. Widows get A little bit of cah every time they attend the Prayers, a bit of Dal, rice and sweet. Special distributions of clothes are made by the institution from time to time.
Kalavathi
Kalavathi, a widow walking out of the Sri Bhajan Ashram. Like most of them, 80 %, to be precise, she came from West Bengal.
Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram was founded in 1914, the founder being a religious philantropist, Sri Janki Dasji Patodia. He gave all his money for the religious cause.
Apart from Vrindavan the institution has beranches in Mathura, Barsana, Gokul and Chitrakut.
The widows come everyday in 3 sessions of 4 hours each to sing Bhajan Kritan, during day time. To maintain the 24 hours continuity, Sadhus keep doing it during the night hours.
Water
A widow in a small niche next to the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram is trying to get some roupies giving water to passers by.
You find a lot of places like this especially in Rajasthan where you can get some fresh water as the temperature is pretty high.
Peaking...
Widow praying in the same room seen in the previous image, from the street. The green shutters protect the room from the heat outside..It's monsoon time and very hot.
20.8.07
Ashram
In another building of the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram more widows are praying. People tend to follow habits everywhere, the entire time I was there I was certain to meet everybody at the exact same spot.
Radha Radhi
Radha Radhi Mishre, a 53 years old widow from Calcutta. She spoke English, the only one I met there speaking it. She had arrived at the Sri Bajhan Ashram 8 months earlier. The only thing left for her to do was to pray god, as she had no family members left.
Thanks to her I was able to understand more, she is the one doing the translation for me.
Prayer
An offering at the start of the prayers in front of an Altar. I asked Radha Radhi Mishre, a 53 years old widow from Calcutta if the young girl on the left was also a widow, she answered : "No, she is only a destitute". I was surprised by her sttrong faith during the singings.
www.claude-renault.fr
Sleeping
A widow sleeping on the steps of a temple in Vrindavan. She is waitiing for the temple to open up as everyday while I was there.
Going In.
The widows go everyday to meet, to pray inside one of the 7 buildings of the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram. They can't live there, it's just a place where to go during the day time. They have to find an accomodation in town, sometime a room to share with another widow, not easy for destitute having nothing.
Savitri again
During the prayer inside the Bagwan Bhajan Ashram, Savitri saw me and came toward me to say Hello. She was getting used to it..
Pasadi
Pasadi , a widow from West Bengal in the Shri Bhajan Ashram in Vindavan. She is one of the relatively young widows taking part in the singing everyday.
Prayers
Widows during the prayers in the main room of the Sri Bagwan Ashram in Vrindavan. Most of the widows still wear White saris, even though I met a few who refused to do so and kept wearing colored one, a minority though.
Water
Before going into the main Praying room, a widow washes her feet at the entrance of the sri Bagwan Ashram
Savitri.
Savitri at the entrance of the sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan. A good friend of Amodhini. They do spend a lot of time together.
19.8.07
A M O D H I N I. Vrindavan
Amodhini, a widow from West Bengal greeting me at the entrance of the Shri Bajhan Ashram in Vrindavan.
Getting to the Ashram
Widows going by and entering the Sri Bhajan Ashram where they stay. One of them is touching the stair as a mark of respect to the place they will go.
Resting.
Some widows resting a bit before going into another room to sing Bhajan Kritan in the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan.
Those widows come to the Ashram every day to sing Bhajan, a way of making a few roupies and mainy to get free food. Most of them have been rejected by their families, or don't have family left to look after them.
The Ashram was founded in 1914 by a religious minded philanthrophist, Sri Janki Dasji Patodia who gave up all his moneyfor the religious cause he supported all his life.
www.claude-renault.fr
I mainly stayed with the same widows the entire week. Savitri, Boghamathi, Nolita, and others
Meeting.
Widows meeting at the entrance of the Sri Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan. Savitri is sitting next to the door and Boghamathi, a widow from Uttar Pradesh is looking at me.
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