“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”                                                                                             – Margaret Thatcher

Yes, if we want something done especially for the women who have lost their life’s chief supports, we have to ask another woman only. The voice of those women was quite inaudible; nevertheless it was heard by the messengers of God, the chosen people that were waiting to lend a helping hand to such people. They were none but the FMM sisters who organised a programme to strengthen the weak hearts of the widows. The organisers helped these women overcome everything that was meant to destroy them. It was held in our School Hall. The programme was presided over by The Iron Lady of the Nilgiris, the District Collector, Mrs. Innocent Divya. Prior to this, saplings were planted in our campus by the District Collector, the Provincial of FMM Congregation, South Province, Rev. Sr. Stella Balthazar, who was the then Correspondent of our Schools, Rev. Sr. Elizabeth Rani, our Principal, Rev. Sr. Sagay, Headmistress of Bethlehem Girls Higher Secondary School and Rev. Sr. Ann Joseph, the Principal of Nazareth Kindergarten School along with the widows.

The programme started with a prayer, lighting of the lamp, a welcome address given by one of our staff members and the choir of angels singing hymns with their voices rising to Heaven, seeking blessings from God Almighty.

Although widows today are not forced to die in the ritual of ‘sati’ (burning themselves on their husband’s funeral pyre), they are still generally expected to mourn until the end of their lives. They are looked down on by their own children at times; they are even criticised by others if they dress themselves up with things that they had been using even before they were married, like flowers, bindi or glass bangles. The sisters who engage themselves in social service decided to bring in a change.

The District Collector along with the sisters honoured the widows with all auspicious things like flower, glass bangles and kumkum; the things that were considered inauspicious and were restricted after the demise of their husbands. They were entertained with a lovely dance by the cherubs of our Nazareth Kindergarten. It was proved, “The empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description.”

Class XI