Hundreds of widows celebrated Diwali in a special event organised at the 500-year-old Gopinath temple in Vrindavan on Friday evening.
During the celebrations, more than 300 widowed women living in various shelter homes in Vrindavan lit diyas, sang bhajans, danced to folk songs and enjoyed a feast. They also decorated the temple with Rangoli.
They were also gifted sarees, said Nitya Pathak, executive convenor of Sulabh International, a non-profit social service organisation, which organised the event as part of its initiative to bring widowed women into the mainstream of society and restore their dignity.
Chavi Dasi, who lives in an ashram in Vrindavan, said the initiative has brought hope to many women who were otherwise considered "inauspicious" and excluded from festivals and similar occasions.
Thousands of widows, mostly from West Bengal, have been living in Vrindavan for decades and were not allowed to take part in rituals until Sulabh International founder Late Dr Bindeshwar Pathak extended a helping hand, Pathak said.
"The celebration at the Gopinath temple marked not just the festival of lights, but also a symbolic illumination of hope, dignity, and inclusion for these women," he said.
According to Sulabh International, nearly 6,000 widows, mostly from Bengal, were found begging in the streets, lying on the staircases of temples or squatting in the dirty lanes, begging for food.
Apart from other atrocities meted out to them, widows were not even allowed to participate in the celebrations during festivals.
In 2012, the Supreme Court took note of the terrible condition of widows in Vrindavan and asked Sulabh International to take care of them.
The NGO has been looking after 1,500 widows in Varanasi and Vrindavan following the Supreme Court's directions.
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During the celebrations, more than 300 widowed women living in various shelter homes in Vrindavan lit diyas, sang bhajans, danced to folk songs and enjoyed a feast. They also decorated the temple with Rangoli

Diwali 2026: Widows of Vrindavan celebrate the 'Festival of Lights' at Gopinath temple

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