Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Thanks, Hema!' that was published in Newsband

Thanks, Hema!

Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini expressed her thought that the widows of Vrindavan should go to temples in their home-States, and not take the train to Mathura. She added that there are many famous temples in Bengal and Bihar where they can stay.

The fact is these widows ended up in Vrindavan because they had no other place to go. Many of them were abandoned by their families, and they would be worse off in any other town or village. It is not religion but poverty that forced them to Vrindavan. Their problems would not vanish if they left Vrindavan or stayed at home.

The 40,000 widows in Vrindavan are only a fraction of those in need of help. Instead of articulating what she as an MP or the Central or State government can do to help, Hema Malini seems to have placed the burden on the widows themselves and on the governments of their home-States. The MP had no concrete suggestion to improve their lot.

Now let’s look from one angle. Let's assume Hema Malini arranges for comfortable stay of these widows and they live peacefully till the end of their lives. What next? There would be lakhs more coming into Mathura (not very unthinkable in a country of 130 cr people). What does the state administration do then, for how many should they continue to provide resources for? In such a situation, is it not the duty of Central Government to let these widows enjoy the right to live with dignity in their respective states? Hema Malini should have used her position to appeal to the Centre to come to the rescue of these widows instead of asking the widows to go away.

Every politician is supposed to have basic knowledge of the constitutional rights of a citizen. Hema Malini should have done something positive. She should have persuaded the Central government to build free hostels for these helpless widows so that they are not reduced to the level of beggars. Had Hema Malini done this she would not have to face criticisms from a large section of Indians. Her image would have got a tremendous boost.    

Present goverment always speaks about women rights, women empowerment. But when time comes they do not act.

Remarks of Hema Malini are equivalent to Raj Thackray's not allowing Biharis and other state residents to come in Maharashtra. In the cases of migrants it is unemployment and poverty which drag them for migration. Widows migrate because of social stigma, poverty, insecurity and most importantly, as said in Water movie, widows are considered as economic burden by their own family members, hence the places like Vrindavan are created by social hostile forces to exploit them.

Hema Malini should not drag politics and regionalism in this delicate issue of survival and human rights of destitute women who have already faced a lot in life.

But the best thing about Hema Malini’s remark, whether you call it positive or negative, is that it drew attention of the entire Indian public and the government towards the plight of these widows. So Hema Malini deserves a big ‘Thanks’.