By Adnan Abidi

The sound of applause echoing in the dingy shelter forced a smile on the face of Tulshi Dasi. An expression she had almost forgotten since her world turned white. The reason: she could now write and had just finished writing the English alphabet on a blackboard. And all this at the age of 70! She had never felt this empowered and never knew that learning was so much fun. As Dasi wrote a new chapter in her life in the grimy shelter in Vrindavan, that she shares with many women like her, her companions, around 50 odd widows applauded her progress.

GALLERY: WIDOW REFUGE

Widows, either abandoned by their family members or shunned by society, find their life’s last refuge in various government run shelters such as this one. They come here from all across the country, but mostly from Bengal, where they survive by begging and chanting hymns in temples.

Hindu widows are branded as inauspicious by society and are forbidden to wear any form of color or be a part of any kind of celebrations like marriage and childbirth, hence most find respite amid their own kind, and seek solace in sorrow. As I spent my day with them I realized that learning was the best part of their day. Each of them would get up early, bathe and offer prayers together in the hall before resuming their daily chores of making prayer beads and flower garlands.

While shooting I tried to strike up a conversation with some of them, to get the best possible moment or an expression to make a good picture, but for most of them Hindi, a prominent North Indian language, was quite alien as most spoke and understood Bengali. Some did smile at being photographed but seemed evidently forced, as after a moment’s smile their face resumed the monotonous expression that seems to have stayed on since they were widowed.

En-route to the ashram or the shelter I was briefed by an NGO representative that there may be a picture possibility when a family member visited the widows, though I didn’t encounter such an event during my stay. I have a feeling that the smile I witnessed during their learning class would remain unmatched even if the relatives were to visit. An NGO has come forward to pay these widows a monthly allowance of 2000 rupees ($3.65) with the aim to give them a respectful life by offering them facilities like healthcare, education and some vocational work to keep them occupied and keep their minds off the sorrow that they have had gone through.

Stepping out of the hall where they studied and did vocational activities, I ventured into their living area. As I was photographing two widows I experienced the absence of color from their lives. I noticed my orange and white shirt reflected starkly on a mirror kept on their wall whitewashed with some white sarees drying in a corner.

Acknowledging their loss in life, what I noticed during my visit was far better than what I had heard about and seen on a visit to Vrindavan previously. I noticed that they are living a far more dignified life than one where they had to beg. I can’t judge the amount of change government and NGO intervention has brought into their lives but I can vouch that the knowledge of the alphabet did bring a smile to their faces.

Scuffles broke out in central Delhi between police and
protesters who say the government is doing too little to protect
women. But the 2,000-strong rally was confined to a single area,
unlike last week when protests raged up throughout the capital.

Riot police manned barricades along streets leading to India
Gate war memorial – a focal point for demonstrators – and, at
another gathering point – the centuries-old Jantar Mantar -
protesters held banners reading “We want justice!” and “Capital
punishment”.

Most sex crimes in India go unreported, many offenders go
unpunished, and the wheels of justice turn slowly, according to
social activists, who say that successive governments have done
little to ensure the safety of women.

The unidentified 23-year-old victim of the Dec. 16 gang rape
died of her injuries on Saturday, prompting promises of action
from a government that has struggled to respond to public
outrage.

The medical student had suffered brain injuries and massive
internal injuries in the attack and died in hospital in
Singapore where she had been taken for treatment.

She and a male friend had been returning home from the
cinema, media reports say, when six men on a bus beat them with
metal rods and repeatedly raped the woman. The friend survived.

New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among
India’s major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18
hours, police figures show. Reported rape cases rose by nearly
17 percent between 2007 and 2011, according to government data.

Six suspects were charged with murder after her death and
face the death penalty if convicted.

In Kolkata, one of India’s four biggest cities, police said
a man reported that his mother had been gang-raped and killed by
a group of six men in a small town near the city on Saturday.

She was killed on her way home with her husband, a senior
official said, and the attackers had thrown acid at the husband,
raped and killed her, and dumped her body in a roadside pond.

Police declined to give any further details. One officer
told Reuters no criminal investigation had yet been launched.

“MISOGYNY”

The leader of India’s ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi,
was seen arriving at the airport when the plane carrying the
woman’s body from Singapore landed and Prime Minister Mannmohan
Singh’s convoy was also there.

A Reuters correspondent saw family members who had been with
her in Singapore take her body from the airport to their Delhi
home in an ambulance with a police escort.

Her body was then taken to a crematorium and cremated. Media
were kept away but a Reuters witness saw the woman’s family, New
Delhi’s chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, and the junior home
minister, R P N Singh, coming out of the crematorium.

The outcry over the attack caught the government off guard.
It took a week for the prime minister to make a statement,
infuriating many protesters. Last weekend they fought pitched
battles with police.

Issues such as rape, dowry-related deaths and female
infanticide rarely enter mainstream political discourse.

Analysts say the death of the woman dubbed “Amanat”, an Urdu
word meaning “treasure”, by some Indian media could change that,
though it is too early to say whether the protesters can sustain
their momentum through to national elections due in 2014.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon added his voice to those
demanding change, calling for “further steps and reforms to
deter such crimes and bring perpetrators to justice”.

Commentators and sociologists say the incident earlier this
month has tapped into a deep well of frustration many Indians
feel over what they see as weak governance and poor leadership
on social issues.

Newspapers raised doubts about the commitment of both male
politicians and the police to protecting women.

“Would the Indian political system and class have been so
indifferent to the problem of sexual violence if half or even
one-third of all legislators were women?” the Hindu newspaper
asked.

The Indian Express said it was more complicated than
realising that the police force was understaffed and underpaid.

“It is geared towards dominating citizens rather than
working for them, not to mention being open to influential
interests,” the newspaper said. “It reflects the misogyny around
us, rather than actively fighting for the rights of citizens who
happen to be female.”

The unidentified 23-year-old medical student died from her injuries on Saturday, prompting promises of action from a government that has struggled to respond to public outrage.

She had suffered brain injuries and massive internal damage in the attack on December 16, and died in hospital in Singapore where she had been taken for treatment.

She and a male friend had been returning home from the cinema, media reports say, when six men on a bus beat them with metal rods and repeatedly raped the woman. The friend survived.

Six suspects were charged with murder after her death.

A Reuters correspondent saw family members who had been with her in Singapore take her body back to their Delhi home in an ambulance with a police escort.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s convoy was at the airport when the plane landed and left soon afterwards, the witness said.

The outcry over the attack caught the government off-guard. It took a week for Singh to make a statement, infuriating many protesters.

Issues such as rape, dowry-related deaths and female infanticide rarely enter mainstream political discourse in India.

Analysts say the death of the woman dubbed “Amanat”, an Urdu word meaning “treasure”, by some Indian media could change that, although it is too early to say whether the protesters calling for government action to better safeguard women can sustain their momentum through to national elections due in 2014.

For video package: link.reuters.com/xev84t

Live blog: Delhi gang rape victim dies:

link.reuters.com/zev84t

Reactions from Twitter: link.reuters.com/puv84t

Pictures slideshow: link.reuters.com/nuv84t

For a poll: here

PROTESTS

Protesters have staged peaceful demonstrations in the capital New Delhi and in cities across India in the last few days to keep the pressure on Singh’s government to get tougher on crimes against women. Last weekend protesters fought pitched battles with police.

Authorities, worried about the reaction to the news of her death on Saturday, deployed thousands of policemen, closed 10 metro stations and banned vehicles from some main roads in central New Delhi.

Most sex crimes in India go unreported, many offenders go unpunished, and the wheels of justice turn slowly, according to social activists, who say that successive governments have done little to ensure the safety of women.

Commentators and sociologists say the rape has tapped into a deep well of frustration many Indians feel over what they see as weak governance and poor leadership on social issues.

New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among India’s major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18 hours, according to police figures. Government data show the number of reported rape cases in India rose by nearly 17 percent between 2007 and 2011. (Additional reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Writing by Louise Ireland; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

The unidentified 23-year-old medical student died from her
injuries on Saturday, prompting promises of action from a
government that has struggled to respond to public outrage.

She had suffered brain injuries and massive internal damage
in the attack on Dec. 16, and died in hospital in Singapore
where she had been taken for treatment.

She and a male friend had been returning home from the
cinema, media reports say, when six men on a bus beat them with
metal rods and repeatedly raped the woman. The friend survived.

Six suspects were charged with murder after her death.

A Reuters correspondent saw family members who had been with
her in Singapore take her body back to their Delhi home in an
ambulance with a police escort.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s convoy was at the
airport when the plane landed and left soon afterwards, the
witness said.

The outcry over the attack caught the government off-guard.
It took a week for Singh to make a statement, infuriating many
protesters.

Issues such as rape, dowry-related deaths and female
infanticide rarely enter mainstream political discourse in
India.

Analysts say the death of the woman dubbed “Amanat”, an Urdu
word meaning “treasure”, by some Indian media could change that,
although it is too early to say whether the protesters calling
for government action to better safeguard women can sustain
their momentum through to national elections due in 2014.

PROTESTS

Protesters have staged peaceful demonstrations in the
capital New Delhi and in cities across India in the last few
days to keep the pressure on Singh’s government to get tougher
on crimes against women. Last weekend protesters fought pitched
battles with police.

Authorities, worried about the reaction to the news of her
death on Saturday, deployed thousands of policemen, closed 10
metro stations and banned vehicles from some main roads in
central New Delhi.

Most sex crimes in India go unreported, many offenders go
unpunished, and the wheels of justice turn slowly, according to
social activists, who say that successive governments have done
little to ensure the safety of women.

Commentators and sociologists say the rape has tapped into a
deep well of frustration many Indians feel over what they see as
weak governance and poor leadership on social issues.

New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among
India’s major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18
hours, according to police figures. Government data show the
number of reported rape cases in India rose by nearly 17 percent
between 2007 and 2011.

Near my house in Delhi at Deenu bhai’s tea stall, I noticed a very young visitor; 7-year-old Sohail. He was Deenu bhai’s relative visiting him from Aligarh for the summer breaks. Before leaving for work, I enjoyed a cup of tea at Deenu bhai’s, and as usual, I was sipping a steaming hot cup of tea with a snack when I saw Sohail with a drawing book.

Hot summer mornings keep away a lot of lazy lads who otherwise are found gossiping at Deenu bhai’s place. I was finding no such company, so I asked Sohail what he’s been up to. He showed me a few landscape drawings, which were mostly village scenes with huts and animals, with the sun rising at a location painted in yellow.

GALLERY: SOLAR INDIA

I am no art critic, and couldn’t actually make out anything in those drawings. But I recalled my childhood days, and compared it with Sohail’s to figure out a similar thought process in both of our generations. Neither of us have ever imagined a typical Indian village scene during or after sundown.

I come from a village named Baharpur in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and I recall we used to get up at 5a.m. and play until 4p.m. As darkness enveloped the entire village, oil lanterns were the only source of light. All major work had to be completed during the day, as there was no electricity once the sun was down.

This realization suddenly filled my heart with respect for innovators like Sun Edison – a company dedicated to the development of solar plants which provide electricity to the remote village Meerwada in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh. This is such a remote village, that a trip of 20 kms (12 miles) once took four hours during the rains.

We reached Meerwada in the afternoon and the village seemed similar to any other remote Indian village, but as time passed during my shoot, the village magically transformed. In wonderment I watched the village sparkle with the power of LED lamps. Darkness didn’t stand a chance.

Once I walked to neighboring village where this technology was absent, I realized the benefits of harvesting the power of the sun. I was not surprised by the similarities I saw 25 years ago in my village. Digital camera technology has come quite far in dealing with minimal light, using a high ISO to take a picture at night. But this was not the case in this particular village, which only had a few oil lamps to illuminate the night.

I asked myself “was having light at night all the benefit the village received?” I was proved wrong as Manorbai told me that she started a tailoring job at night after finishing her daily duties on the field and as a housewife. She started earning a few extra dollars for her family which brought them some comfort and conveniences. The solar power harvest not only help with the villagers’ income but it also brought health benefits. A bore well was set up in the village with people taking full advantage of it – just by paying a minimal fee. The well ensures abundant and also hygienic water that prevents the spread of diseases.

Solar power changed people’s lifestyles. No longer were they left handicapped when the sun went down. While photographing two young girls Ramsiya and Bhoori playing during the day and studying at night, I saw how solar power had empowered them and had given them a better life.

Hopefully this small piece of technology might cause a change in people’s perception – especially young creative minds. If I ever do a follow-up on this same story, I would be glad to see the children drawing a village scene… a scene at night.

Hardeep Singh, a father of two, leaves his home in west Delhi every day at around 2 p.m. Dressed in a pair of light trousers and a shirt, he reaches a local charity, where he undresses to reveal his female clothes underneath and transforms into Seema.

The 33 year old is a male-to-female transgender, or “hijra”, as they are known in India. Living with two identities, by day, he is a married family man and by night, a hijra sex worker.

With no legal recognition in India, transgenders like Seema have little choice but to turn to prostitution to earn a living, which is something she hides even from her family.

She has been working the streets since the age of 15, as well as with the life-long risks that come with the job, including HIV/AIDS.

She takes anti-retroviral drugs to control the infection – something I got to know while photographing her at her home with her family.

After spending a day with Seema, I asked if I could go out with her to see her working the streets. She agreed and from a safe distance, I photographed her as she took her position under a busy flyover to wait for clients. With my 50mm, I captured a few shots of her negotiating her rates with potential clients. For some, it took a few moments, for others, Seema negotiated for up to 45 minutes before jumping on the back of a motorcycle or hopping into the front seat of a car.

I’ll admit I wasn’t totally prepared for the shoot. Prostitution, like in many other countries, is illegal in India, and photographing sex workers talking with clients was risky. I was worried that someone would spot me or that I would be hit by a car speeding by as I stood on top of the flyover peering down at Seema.

Setting my camera up to the highest ISO level, I managed to capture some unique moments.

It was quite an experience shooting her double life, seeing her at home, playing with her children and doing regular household chores, as well as being able to document her going through her daily transformation from male to female, into her true self.

As a photo-journalist my work is to bring out stories and emotions through pictures. And I have been doing that for the last umpteen number of years. However, after so many years of capturing events that have shocked people across the world, I was about to stumble upon a reality that would be even more shocking than what my camera could capture. It was one such assignment where me and a colleague were to travel to Rajasthan, India. The story was on one of the most prevalent issues of my developing nation—Malnutrition. When I started out from Delhi towards Rajasthan, I did have an idea of what was about to come my way. However, I never anticipated the intensity with which it would move me.

The first stop we made was in a village called Shahbad, the place where we were to actually find some severely malnourished children. After travelling 12 hours by car our visit turned out to be bitter disappointment since we found nothing except empty and ill-maintained hospital wards. After a lot of discussion and research the local doctor at the hospital agreed to take us to the Kasba-Thana village, located at the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh border, so that our story could gain perspective and ground. It was this village that brought its first shock for me.

During my wandering through the village I learnt that the way of life in this village was quite different from what I have experienced living in an urban city. In this village, which is home to the Sahariya tribe, women are the bread winners of the family. Not because these women are empowered and belong to an ultra modern tribe, but the men of the tribe have resigned themselves to absolute reckless lives.

The local doctors told me that while most women of the tribe go out and earn daily wages at early hours of the day; their men start to drink around the same time. In fact such exploitation has resulted in the abject poverty of the families and severe malnourishment of their children.

Projecting this dismal condition is a tribal woman’s admission that her two year old son Raj, is habituated to eating mud and dirt. “He is now use to it. It does not affect him anymore,” said Pista. It was due to the low levels of proper nourishment that in the area that prompted the state government to initiate a welfare programme for the tribe. According to the welfare program, the parents of every malnourished Sahariya child brought to the nutrition rehabilitation centres for treatment would be paid Rs 100. However, that too has been of no avail as women there say that whatever they get has been wasted on drinking by their husbands.

While Raj’s alternative, of eating mud, to proper nourishment was an appalling case, it was still not enough to make for a story. In search of some more cases, we finally made our way to Shivpuri, a village in Madhya Pradesh. While the village promised us enough cases to make for a comprehensive narrative it also brought with it shocking stories.

One such instance was when two year old Rajni was admitted to the Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre. The sight of her being weighed on the machine was enough to make my hair stand. The girl was literally skin and bones, with her hide hugging so tightly to her body that it outlined every contour of her skeletal structure. Her expression was that of pain. Rajni’s condition moved me as I had never seen a child that was so severely under nourished. For me hunger and poverty was limited to what I have seen on the streets of Delhi. Rajni’s pain and plight was impossible to bring out in a picture.

It was not just Rajni alone that managed to bewilder me with her condition. I was speechless to see when a mother had no other way but to fake breast feeding, just so that her child could be fed.

Four months old Vishaka clung close to her mother’s bosom thinking that she is being fed her mother’s milk. But actually she is taking her nourishment from a thin plastic pipe, dipped in a bowl of milk. Due to lack of food, Vishakha’s mother is unable to feed her child as her breast milk has dried up.

The dismal condition of Rajni and Vishakha made for some very strong pictures. I knew that whatever I click now will be a very hard-hitting picture. But I was also aware, no amount of talent or experience would actually be able to capture the dismal and painful plight of the children. I am a photo-journalist. My work is to bring out stories and emotions through pictures, something that I have been doing for the last several years. However, after so many years of producing appalling images, I finally ran into an assignment where reality would be more shocking than what a camera can capture.

The election in Uttar Pradesh, a state that would be the world’s fifth most populous nation if independent, could have a bearing on who next governs India. It is a closely fought four-way race pitting the scion of the elite Gandhi dynasty against a powerful low caste leader and two other parties.

Rahul Gandhi of the central government’s Congress party has staked his political reputation on reviving the party in a state it has not ruled for 22 years.

A good result could breathe new life into Prime Minister Singh’s second term, which has been plagued by corruption and splits in the ruling coalition.

The son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, Gandhi is considered likely to take over as prime minister from Singh, but the timing is not clear. He said this week that becoming prime minister did not interest him for now.

A poor showing in Uttar Pradesh would leave the Congress party weaker than ever as the country gears up for a 2014 general election. Congress now holds 22 of 403 seats in the local legislature and the most optimistic forecasts would give it about 80.

‘OTHERS DID NOTHING’

Known as the queen of the lower castes for her power and lavish lifestyle, the chief minister of the state, Mayawati, has been criticized for building statues of herself and spending millions of rupees on diamond jewelry.

But supporters say she drove out violent mafias and made the state safe for former untouchable castes and other downtrodden groups after decades of abuse.

Uttar Pradesh, with 200 million people, is an unruly state that stretches southeast from New Delhi, divided along its length by the Ganges River. To avoid violence, voting is staggered over seven days. Results from a total of five state elections are to be announced on March 6.

Elections in Uttar Pradesh have traditionally been decided by voters’ affiliation to the caste or religion they were born into. This year is no exception, with parties promising government jobs for the mostly poor Muslim and lower caste populations.

“Mayawati helped the poor with education, and distributed bicycles to students,” said 65-year-old wooden shoemaker Khairun Nisa, wearing a black traditional Muslim head-to-toe cloak. “She didn’t do as much as we hoped, but she did something, other governments did nothing.”

“We should give her one more chance,” she said after casting her vote on a rainy day at a primary school in the town of Ayodyha. Turnout was thin in the chilly morning but was expected to pick up later.

The destruction of a mosque by hardline Hindus at Ayodyha in 1992 sparked religious riots that killed some 2,000 people and brought the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, to national prominence.

This time, religious tensions have cooled and parties are trying to woo voters with promises of welfare programs, food subsidies and affirmative action for government jobs.

Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party — which currently enjoys a majority in the state assembly — is expected to take a battering as she loses the support of higher castes who voted for her last time but feel she failed to deliver economic development.

Both BJP and Congress are expected to pick up some of the votes she loses.

A scandal over funds for a health program and linked to the murder of four senior doctors has hurt Mayawati, and a purge of corrupt officials this year was seen as coming too late.

Results are notoriously hard to predict in Uttar Pradesh — where millions live in distant villages without electricity or clean water — but several opinion polls suggest the Congress party could win enough to form a government with the leftist Samajwadi Party, which could emerge as the largest party.

The Samajwadi Party has a strong presence in the national parliament, and a tie up could allow the Congress party to reduce the influence of another volatile ally that has prevented Singh’s government from passing major economic reforms.

(Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Ron Popeski)

The election in Uttar Pradesh, a state that would be the world’s fifth most populous nation if independent, could have a bearing on who next governs India. It is a closely fought four-way race pitting the scion of the elite Gandhi dynasty against a powerful low caste leader and two other parties.

Rahul Gandhi of the central government’s Congress party has staked his political reputation on reviving the party in a state it has not ruled for 22 years.

A good result could breathe new life into Prime Minister Singh’s second term, which has been plagued by corruption and splits in the ruling coalition.

The son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, Gandhi is considered likely to take over as prime minister from Singh, but the timing is not clear. He said this week that becoming prime minister did not interest him for now.

A poor showing in Uttar Pradesh would leave the Congress party weaker than ever as the country gears up for a 2014 general election. Congress now holds 22 of 403 seats in the local legislature and the most optimistic forecasts would give it about 80.

‘OTHERS DID NOTHING’

Known as the queen of the lower castes for her power and lavish lifestyle, the chief minister of the state, Mayawati, has been criticised for building statues of herself and spending millions of rupees on diamond jewellery.

But supporters say she drove out violent mafias and made the state safe for former untouchable castes and other downtrodden groups after decades of abuse.

Uttar Pradesh, with 200 million people, is an unruly state that stretches southeast from New Delhi, divided along its length by the Ganges River. To avoid violence, voting is staggered over seven days. Results from a total of five state elections are to be announced on March 6.

Elections in Uttar Pradesh have traditionally been decided by voters’ affilitation to the caste or religion they were born into. This year is no exception, with parties promising government jobs for the mostly poor Muslim and lower caste populations.

“Mayawati helped the poor with education, and distributed bicycles to students,” said 65-year-old wooden shoemaker Khairun Nisa, wearing a black traditrional Muslim head-to-toe cloak. “She didn’t do as much as we hoped, but she did something, other governments did nothing.”

“We should give her one more chance,” she said after casting her vote on a rainy day at a primary school in the town of Ayodyha. Turnout was thin in the chilly morning but was expected to pick up later.

The destruction of a mosque by hardline Hindus at Ayodyha in 1992 sparked religious riots that killed some 2,000 people and brought the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, to national prominence.

This time, religious tensions have cooled and parties are trying to woo voters with promises of welfare programmes, food subsidies and affirmative action for government jobs.

Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party — which currently enjoys a majority in the state assembly — is expected to take a battering as she loses the support of higher castes who voted for her last time but feel she failed to deliver economic development.

Both BJP and Congress are expected to pick up some of the votes she loses.

A scandal over funds for a health programme and linked to the murder of four senior doctors has hurt Mayawati, and a purge of corrupt officials this year was seen as coming too late.

Results are notoriously hard to predict in Uttar Pradesh — where millions live in distant villages without electricity or clean water — but several opinion polls suggest the Congress party could win enough to form a government with the leftist Samajwadi Party, which could emerge as the largest party.

The Samajwadi Party has a strong presence in the national parliament, and a tie up could allow the Congress party to reduce the influence of another volatile ally that has prevented Singh’s government from passing major economic reforms.

(Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Ron Popeski)

“Ganges is Holy,” said my boatman as I pointed my camera to photograph devotees half submerged in the blackish brown waters of the sacred river, the second most polluted in India. It was my third day on a photography assignment on Bihar- a sprawling state on the Gangetic plains of eastern India. My brief was to cover the overall progress of Bihar, hence I planned to photograph a bridge under construction over this sacred river. After a couple of shots with my wide angle lens I shifted to telephoto and as I zoomed in I saw a crow, a crow savoring or maybe just sitting on a corpse.

The boatman wasn’t as shocked as I was. This was no extraordinary sight for him. He continued to praise the progress of the state, and its new efficient minister but said things will not change overnight. On seeing me still shocked about the corpse he revealed that as Hinduism describes Moksha as liberation from the cycle of life and death, freedom forever from earthly miseries and sufferings, the holy river Ganges is believed to be a pathway to attain Moksha. And Hindus believe that dying on the banks of this holy river enable a soul to attain Moksha. So at very short intervals, sometime just weeks, people here see corpses floating on the river, and its an accepted phenomenon. He said that’s the way of life here and still there was progress!

I smiled at his optimism. He was all praises about the current government and the development it had brought even though personally he still lived hand-to-mouth. Earning his daily bread was an extreme challenge, for he like many boatmen had no option but to stay in the boat (floating in water) as they could not afford land. Even though there is a lack of basic resources, catastrophic flooding every year, and the lingering impact of poor past governance, there was a ray of hope in Bihar. I wondered if all this progress could bridge the gap between prosperity and poverty- a mammoth task that lay ahead for the current Bihar government.