The Sentinel
CMYK
CMYK JUNE 30, 2018 POTPOURRI Karishma's Fashion Charisma Useful Apps & Websites Sight & Sound Recipes from the Pocket Casts, Stitcher for Podcasts, 'Aru Kunu Nari Gandhari Award Winning Author Handcent Next SMS and others Nohoba' - a Visual Treat Mridula Baljekar Lights, Camera & Action Present Status of Widows in India vis-a-vis International Exploring the Art Buddhadev Nandi Unlike other UN days, International Widows Day is the society. Besides, an age gap between men and wom- of Filmmaking observed without much hype and fanfare. Unobtru- en during marriage and the increase in life expectancy, sively, the day takes place annually on 23rd June with particularly of women, are the two major reasons for a view to raise awareness of the violation of human the jump in the widowed population. In India, about with rights that widows suffer globally. International Wid- 10% of the country's female population is plodding ows Day was first launched by the Loomba Founda- through dreadful widowhood. According to census 2011 tion in the House of Lords in London in 2005. The data, India's population in 2011 was 121 crores and of Prerana B Loomba Foundation, aiming at alleviating the plights this, 5.6 crores were widowed with women outnum- of the widows globally, attracted the attention of the bering men by a great margin. India, leaving behind United Nations to declare International Widows Day China, has become the country with the largest num- in 2010. The first International Widows Day was ob- ber of widows in the world. All the southern states in served by the United Nations Organization on 23rd India have a significant percentage of their respective June, 2011. populations widowed, that is nearly 6% against the Unfortunately, after eight consecutive years of the average national percentage of 4.6%. observation of the day, the plight of the widows in It is also a global problem. There are estimated nearly India still seems to be hushed-up stories, despite a 260 million widows globally. One third of widows substantial number of ill-fated women existing world- worldwide reside in India and China. The number of wide, thanks to widowhood; traversing through a pains- widows is soaring alarmingly in the Middle East and taking and humiliating living condition-physically, North Africa. The number of widows rose to 24% mentally, socially, economically, psychologically, emo- between 2010 and 2015, partly because of the Syrian tionally and what not. War and civil wars in African countries. The number of Needless to say, the demise of a marital partner, spe- girls widowed in childhood is rising because of the cially the bread earner, is always a catastrophe in a prevalence of child marriage in developing and unde- family. There is plethora of problems confronted by veloped countries. Besides, there is a tendency of aged widows particularly in India. Denial of inheritance is men to marry young girls. What could be more mesmerizing than a heart, which feels that campus and pushing those heavy doors, to see my mother work. the foremost among them. Despite the existence of the According to Loomba Foundation's World Widows life, in itself, offers a huge resource of life-building blocks, and This, definitely, has carved a positive impact on me. And, I realize Hindu Succession Act 1969 making women eligible to Report, one out of seven widows globally is living in that a smile on a face helps in cementing them? What could be it now. My mother is also a lyricist and a poet. We are like best enjoy equal status with men, majority of them are extreme poverty. As most of the women's status is sharper than the eyes that never miss out the details, including friends, we work together now. She is my producer and we are co- deprived of land rights and other immovable proper- inextricably entwined with their husbands, the wid- the ones that are not visible outside? Well, we are talking about writers. It is a wonderful bond that we share beyond the mother- ties. They are even evicted from their homes. They are ows are in deep waters immediately after the demise of a person, who is immensely graceful, positive and meticulous. daughter relationship. Both the parents are a big support to me. accused of their husbands' death, to project them as their hubbies. She has studied Psychology, but she has the knacks of a What is your daily routine like? inauspicious and to also deprive them of burial rights. The 8th International Widow Day was observed on 23rd June, 2018. The main objectives of the observa- productive & methodical filmmaker, which she is. Born just a There are two schedules for me, based on whether it's a weekday In this regard, the observations of Lucy Carroll, a fa- day before the Valentine's Day, this Guwahatian lady (a mother mous personality, deserve special mention, "Irrevoca- tion of the International Widows Day are to recognize or a weekend/ holiday. On a weekday, since my kids have school, their plights and establish their full rights. Unfortu- of two) is a heart-winner, for she believes in spreading positivity I would have to get up at 6 am, and the whole routine of getting bly, eternally married as a mere child, the death of the and love around. husband she had perhaps never known left the wife a nately, no remarkable progress has so far been made to them ready, begins: telling them to shower; have breakfast and so address poverty, violence and discrimination still suf- Team Saturday Fare had an opportunity to gather some positive on. After they are gone, at around 7.30 am, I sit with my coffee and widow, and inauspicious being whose sins in a previ- vibes through a deep chat with none other than Prerana ous life had deprived her of her husband, and her par- fered by the widows. The loss of the husband by a read the morning newspaper, get ready and by 9.10 am I'm at my widow is, in many cases, the loss of her identity. Thou- Barbarooah, an Assamese filmmaker and a deep (yet crystal clear) work place. Sometimes, we have to go out for the meetings and ents-in-law of their son, in this one" thinker. As you read the interaction, you would know that she is The widows, often perceived as ominous, are subject- sands of widows in Vrindavan, popularly known as other plans, which takes place between 10 am -1pm. After that my "the city of widows", still have to perform prayers for a kind of person who moves forward together with the people as kids return from school. I love having an afternoon nap, which I ed to various kinds of discrimination and even ostra- a perfect leader and strikes a perfect work-life balance. There's cism. They are even stigmatized and associated with hours a day, to earn meager wages for survival. Death sometimes manage to have between 3-4pm. After that, I’m back to from malnutrition is much higher among widows than more to her, turn the leaves with this rendezvous. work again like writing, planning and all that. And evening routine, witchcraft. All these are deliberately done by the rela- tives of their in-laws' house only to fertile the ground married women. Ironically, the percentage of the num- Tell us about you. it all depends on the work scheduled. I like to watch television, ber of widows has hiked by 9% due to conflicts and before going to bed (after kids go to bed). for depriving them of their legal rights. Even after the I had a simple childhood that was loaded with tons of lovable enactment of the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act of ailments since 2010, the year when the UN declared memories. Guwahati was a little different then. It was not a concrete The difference in the schedules during holidays or weekends is 1856, in many societies in our country, widow remar- International Widows Day. Except a few familiar fig- jungle as it is now. There were lots of fields to play around. During that I wake up at around 9 am. I have no problem in sleeping. I can riage is strictly prohibited. In many cases, they are ures like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Iswar Chandra monsoons, we used to play with the fishes in the field. We use to sleep anytime. I take my kids outside; meet my friends and so on. forced to marry a brother-in-law, accepting the custom Vidyasagar, few dedicated social reformers have come have secret hiding places, where the girls used to have a club. You took Psychology, but later, you switched to media studies. of levirate. forward for the upliftment of widows. Ours was a small family, comprising of my parents, brother and What were your objectives behind this transition? Widows are compelled to observe some mourning rites, The governments all over the world should take initia- me. We used to have a lot of social visits, which we don't have I really enjoyed the subject psychology, during college time. It's including wearing white sarees, shunning all cosmetics, tives to ensure the rights of widows, as enshrined in now, but that plays a key role in the development of a child's also difficult to get a psychology single major there, because there ornaments and jewellery, living on a vegetarian diet, avoid- the international law, including the Convention on the character. I studied in the Holy Child School. After I passed 10th were only 24 seats available, so I got into this whole idea that I ing social and particular religious gatherings and so on. Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against board exams, I went to Bombay to pursue graduation in have to do a single major because I was enjoying it. Otherwise, acute economic hardship very often forces Women Programmes and the constitutions of the re- Psychology. Followed by this, I studied film and television Yes, coming from a filmmaker’s family, I had influences of film them to accept menial and humiliating jobs and even spective nations. Various strong measures need to be production in St. Xavier's Institute, Bombay. I worked in Bombay making, and probably, somewhere at the back of my mind, I always adopt prostitution to eke out the rest of their lives. taken to eradicate violence and discrimination against for some time before relocating to Delhi. I joined there as the knew that film making is there in my journey. I am so thankful to Their children also bear the brunt of their ill-fates. widows; poverty alleviation programmes to be adopt- System Director to Karan Thakur, who is one of the best journalists, my studies in psychology. The kind of work I'm doing now, Widows are many times forced to withdraw their wards ed; and at the same time, make arrangements to impart and a good boss. The current affairs section of UTV is in Delhi, psychology has helped (and has been helping) me in a lot of from school and send them out to work, instead of proper education to the widows and their children. and the entertainment team ways: in terms of writing scripts; going to schools. It is appropriately viewed by many The widows should also be empowered politically is in Mumbai. I worked in in dealing with people and that, though forceful cremation of the widows in fu- and economically through reservation policy to estab- Delhi. It was a small team of artists. You know they have neral pyres of their husbands is banned, they are still lish their position in the society. The fate of the major- interesting people with different temperaments & destined to live a life of "Living Sati". ity number of widows shouldn't happen in the silent exciting assignments. We dispositions. The entire study Widows outnumber widowers as hazardous jobs are observance of the International Widows Day on 23rd used to do about 6-7 shows of psychology has really helped disproportionately dominated by male members of June every year. for different television me here. channels. I had a wonderful Tell us about your recent feature work experience there. film, "Tumi Aahibaane"& the A FLASHBACK (ICONIC ACTRESS) charity show. While working in BBC, we Moushumi Chatterjee playback singer The actor has collected many got a chance to interview a "Tumi Aahibaane" is my first Contemplated as one Hemant Kumar. accolades and awards. With her lot of prominent celebrities feature film and I wanted to of the most She considers their two first step into the film world, she in the field of sports, make films, which would make mesmerising faces to daughters, Payal and won the BFJA Award for Best cinema, music, arts, etc., and people come to the theatres. hit the big screens of Megha as her biggest Actress for “Balika Vadhu” they were the masters in Many people from the film Hindi cinema, blessings. Interestingly, (1968). Her spectacular their game. It was also an industry came forward & Moushumi Chatterjee in a feat quite unusual performance in “Roti Kapda Aur immensely enriching together, to bring back the is a much talked affair to Indian women of her Makaan” (1974) won her the experience to speak about golden era of Assamese cinema in Indian households time, she started her BFJA Award for best supporting their stories, work, etc. I had and Tumi Aahibaane was my because of her beauty career in Bollywood actress. She has also received a good experience there too. contribution to this initiative. & interesting roles. after her marriage. Filmfare awards for best After a while I moved back My aim was to bring back people This talented beauty was Her debut into Bollywood supporting actress, “Goynar to Assam because I wanted to the theatres. This film was co- presented to the world in her wee started with the movie Baksho” (2014) and Lifetime CMYK to work on the documentary produced by the Assam State age of 11 with her cinematic “Anuraag” (1972), directed by Achievement Award (2015). She movies. I kept travelling Film (Finance and Development) debut in Tarun Majumder’s Shakti Samanta, where she also won the BFJA lifetime between Delhi to Assam Corporation Ltd. My film was Bengali hit “Balika Badhu” in played teh role of a blind girl. Award (2016) and the Lifetime and at one point of time, but it was difficult to manage, so I decided selected by them. 1976. "After Balika Badhu, I was Critically, she has been most Power Brands Journalist award to settle down here, completely. Then, I started working on my flooded with Bengali movies but appraised for her role as a rape (2018). This ever energetic It was a beautiful and positive experience for all the actors, directors, I wished to complete my studies. survivor in Manoj Kumar's “Roti Bengali own. technician, cameraman music directors. I had stitched a few However, movies were in my Kapada Aur Makaan”, which beauty Who inspire(s) you? messages in the movie, related to environment, human fate hence when I was studying stands as one of the most last My parents are my source of inspiration, simply for the fact that I empowerment, and national integrity. The film is 2 hours long and in class X, a close aunt of mine disturbing scenes of Hindi appeared could really follow their footsteps. My father had produced many we shot it in 15 days, which was a unique record in itself. was on her death bed and her last cinema. Equally dominating both in the TV serials, including the blockbuster Assamese feature film named, The best part of the movie is that even if we had obstacles showing wish was to see me married. Hindi and Bengali films, this once memo- CMYK "Surooj", which was a super hit film that time. My foray into the up sometimes like that of weather’s problem, eventually things Hence, to satisfy her wish I got sixth-highest-paid actress in rable Assamese film industry happened because of him. used to turn in our favour, because everyone on the set was so married," Moushami had Hindi cinema has had the most film, positive. Everyone was friendly, smiling at each other. My mother revealed. popular on-screen pairings with “Piku” My mother was working in All India Radio (AIR) as a program A woman quite ahead of her actors Rajesh Khanna, Shashi (2015). announcer. I remember, when I was a kid, I used to go to her office. and I were friendly throughout (as usual) as we were the captains of the ship, and we don't show emotions, like anxiety and anger. times, Moushami was born in Kapoor, Jeetendra, Sanjeev She AIR had all the masters of music and drama and they were my Calcutta to father Prantosh Kumar and Vinod Mehra. She joined mother's colleagues. I remember seeing them not even knowing The entire atmosphere in camp was very relaxed, yet professional. Chattopadhyaya of the Indian has worked in over 100 films and politics their greatness at that time. I used to be just running around in its Army. She married Jayant was mostly casted in supporting in 2004, & currently resides in Continued to page 20 Mukherjee, the son of famous roles post 1985. Bandra (West), Mumbai.
All IndiaWomen's Helpline (All India) 1091 / 1090 National Commission for Women (NCW) Delhi 011-23219750 Child Helpline 1098 Anti-Stalking/Obscene calls 1096 TripuraWomen's Helpline Numbers 0381- WOMEN HELPLINES 2323355, 03812322912 Counselling Services on Women in Distress - Organized by Delhi Police 011 - 3317004 Central Social Welfare Board -Police Helpline1091/ 1291 (011) 23317004 Kalyani Nivas,Shelter Home for girls Ambari (NGO) 9954291139 Snehalaya Children Home (Working for orphan), Paltan Bazar (NGO) 9435198236 Shishu Gram for girls(Indian Red Cross Society), North Guwahati 9864038524 Child welfare committee of Kamrup (Metro) District 9435198236 / 9435109598 / 9864102555 Assam Centre for Rural Development, working for trafficking girl 9435110275