It's mid day on a Sunday in Dehradun. We are laying on our yoga mats in Ghandi park sleeping after having taken a night bus into the city the night before when two young women our age in white and red saris come and ask if we are okay.
A crowd of all the men hanging out in the park quickly forms as they are also curious as to what we are doing.
We explain that all is well, we're just taking a rest before catching a train that night.
The young women explain their mission. They are working as lawyers in practice for an NGO called Samadhan that provides free emotional, physical , and legal assistance to woman who face abuse throughout India.
They help all women, and those with unknown or mixed genders that are facing abuse regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion. Completely free of cost.
They have a 24 hour helpline for immediate assistance.
And they provide a safe space for women to come to and recover in confidentiality and with support from other women who have gone through and experienced (mostly sexual) abuse and recovered from it themselves.
They also provided legal assistance if the women want to press charges.
Every weekend the women and Samdhan go out into the community and raise awareness about women's rights and about there presence in the community to provide help. They quickly seize the opportunity of the crowd drawn around us and start speaking with strength and passion to this group of men, telling of their mission, encouraging them to take the help number down and share with women they know.
Their strength in talking to this group of men, mostly workers taking a a sunday nap or stroll in the park, is inspiring. They bring out a banner and have us all get together for some photos.
They invite us to visit their center and we cycle up to 'mam's home where they explain further their mission and experiences. And give a tour of the space they provide there to women in recovery.
They have provided this space and support to many women who have faced sexual abuse in the area, both indians and foreigners. Women who otherwise would have felt alone and helpless in this situation.
They are a group of women with such a strong positive energy and continued faith in the good of people. As we leave they have us first take photos together and take a little video where we express our feeling of inspiration in their strength and they tell us that they love us!
We feel greatful to have gained their contact information so we can spread it further throughout India so more women can reach help when they are in need.
CONTACT INFO
Whats app number: 09012511119
24 hour call line: 9897757509
Website: www.samadhanngo.org
Email: samadhan09@rediffmail.com
Founder and amazing women: Renu D Singh
Samadhan is based is Derahdun Uttrakhand but has many people working all over India and in Nepal as well.
The timing in meeting the women of Samdhan felt especially fitting as I'm now reading 'May You Be the Mother of A Hundred Sons' by Elizabeth Bumiller.
Published in 1990, it's a book on issues and hardships faced by women throughout India, from the view of an outsider but with a good effort to remain open and unbiased. I had just been reading about dowry related abuse experienced by women before setting the book down to nap when the women of Samdhan arrived. Bringing things a little more up to date with what is being done to combat these still issues that are still very prominent in Indian society today.
While religion and culture (in india in particular) can make issues more complex. We find that most issues we are facing today come back to common root causes and common solutions. As we move further away from our connection with the land, and with our fundamental needs we become more disconnected with ourselves and with others. As we loose respect for ourselves, as we lose our sense of worth and place we lose respect for others and their own sense of place and worth.
In traditional societies the role of a women is absolutely essential. Nothing gets done without her from the growing and cooking of food, to the growing and nurturing of the community. As people urbanized, whether by desire or by force this role is reduced, many essential functions of the mother are replaced by the market and monetary income which is often the realm of the husband.
These strong powerful women who were once the most essential and appreciated by society often get turned into feeling like a burden.
As we move forward, finding ways to empower women in their role of those that nurture society is absolutely essential. No sustainable progress can be made without them. It's a shame for such an inherent and instinctual desire to selflessly care for a nurture others to be put to waste.
As women we have the ability and responsibility to heal and care for a largely broken society and encourage pur sisters around us to do the same.
Let's get to it.
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