Indian Women: the devotees of Sewa

Men know but women understand! Just as the saying goes, many Indian women understood the needs of the pandemic times and wrap it with their care to help the helpless! They worked tirelessly from supplying ration tickets, masks, PPE kits, nutritious food, to running a helpline for corona positive patients. Let us acknowledge and honor their work with this Sewagatha chapter.

Fortune was really unfavorable for an 11 years-old little boy Sonu. He was suffering from Tuberculosis and also had to wander from place to place along with his 6 years-old sister Khushboo for even a bowlful of food. One day when he was preparing daal, Reena didi surprised him with something that he really needed. Reena didi came with the sisters of Kishori Vikas Kendra, her hand held a ration ticket for Sonu and his sister. Such caring and sympathetic acts are routinely performed by Agra Sewabharati Matrumandal for orphan children staying in different Sewa Bastis of Agra.

The sisters of Sewabharati Matrumandal answered those unspoken and unexplainable needs of laborers’ wives that were difficult to convey. Menstruation was an additional painful issue during the hectic, long travels and lack of money. This problem was well understood by Sewabharati Agra Samrakshika, Dr. Renuka Utsav. With her cooperation, Sewabharati Matrumandal Bouddhik Pramukh, Reena Singh and Mamata Singh, Supriya Jain, Anjali Gautam and Sushmita Singh set out to provide sanitary napkins to the women. They also supplied free essential women materials to the women on bus stand and unprivileged areas. Soon enough the sisters of Sewabharati Matrumandal covered 127 unprivileged areas in and near Agra and provided sanitary napkins to about 20000 women. They also created awareness in terms of maintaining women’s health during the pandemic.

Meera Sah, a lady from Tripura fought her depression after the death of her husband and started working for the females of Ganga Sewa Sansthan. She trained 25 women with sewing masks and other essentials clothes, which also offered them employment. 

Mangilal, an old beggar used to take 1 plateful of meal every day from Udyogvardhini, Solapur. But Chandrika Tai, joint secretary of Rashtriya Sewabharati board, observed that he was taking 2 instead of 1 during the lockdown. She followed and was surprised to see Mangilal sharing his food with some other beggars on the street. This melted her heart and caused her to offer meals to the beggars in temples, and also to other old people who were helpless to earn food. Gentle hearts of these women were the reasons that from 26th March onwards, more than 250 people could get meals for as less as Rs. 20/-.Amita Jain, National Vice-president of Rashtriya Sewabharati conveys the example of 82 years-old Haridini Joshi and 80 years-old Prakash Khanuja who sewed masks day and night and distributed them in different Sewa Bastis of Bhopal. 

Rakhi is the word as special and warm as the event. 65 years-old Arati didi and Savita didi carried Megha’s rakhi to her brother, staying far away with all the warmth and love of a sister. Sisters from 9 cities of Malva Prant made Rakhis and distributed them to brothers stuck in different areas of the corona hotspots in Indore. This unique deed of our sisters made the raksha bandhan memorable for the brothers and sisters who could not visit each other.

Sewabharati Matrumandal, Malva Prant, convener, Sunita Tai reports that, women sold packaged food, essentials and nutritional items, benefitting many unprivileged with food, as well as employment. They established Ma Annapurna Swayam Sahayata Samuha, a group that offered employment to many ladies.Nagrauta in Jammu Kashmir is a home for displaced Kashmiri Pandits who faced similar economic difficulties during lockdown. Anjali didi led a team of women from 100 homes to sew masks, PPE kits, and other essentials and provide them employment. 

Lockdown was indeed a difficult period. To maintain the mental health of people during isolation, our sisters also created a helpline and counseled corona positive patients. A 70 year-old Amma, hearing upon a soothing voice over a phone, felt cared for. Bhopal Mahanagar Mahila Sah Sanyojika, Abha Pandey didi and other sisters did a campaign called ‘Sewabharati Durabhash Mitra Abhiyan’. It helped about 1400 people, including some  corona positive, suspected positive, and elder ones. The Sewabharati obtained their access from the government and helped them in the form of recharging their phones, distributing necessary medicines, and providing counseling services. 

Hyderabad Sewabharati, joint secretary, Jayaprada didi, explains that their Covid helpline centre has a team of 50 girls and women. This team, in cooperation with doctors, was engaged in treating cold, cough, and fever at home and also taking pregnant females safely to the hospitals. They are also sending corona kits to corona positive patients with Swayamsevaks’ assistance.

These inspiring ladies keep us overwhelmed, no matter how small or big the work is. Gaining positivity during corona pandemic is more about cooperation and care. Women, as they are known for strength, have always offered tremendous energy, love and care to those in pain. With their enormous intensity as sisters, mothers, and daughters they have led and will always lead the society and nation towards positivity!