 India - The Healing Touch of Rahat Ghar USHA RAI
 Starting anew: The inmates of Rahat Ghar. WINDING past narrow lanes of Indira Nagar in the secluded Badami Bagh area of Srinagar is the three-storeyed Rahat Ghar, the only home of its kind in the Valley for militancy-affected widows and their children. Widows and orphans of militants as well as civilians caught in the crossfire get equal importance. Despite the trauma they have gone through, the narrow streets reverberate with the joyous strains of popular film songs belted out by its youthful inmates. Music heals wounds of the soul, say Zamrooda Najar, who, with her sister Zahida and Jaya Iyer have been running the home for four years now. A fresh start Over 80 widows and their children have started their lives anew at the Rahat Ghar, run by the Guild of Service under the leadership of Mohini Giri. The accommodation is cramped — all of them living in just eight large rooms. The kitchen and the dining room are small and the inmates eat by rotation in small groups. On the ground floor all the life skills activities take place, whether it is tailoring, embroidery or computers. What is amazing is the spirit of the inmates. There is a tremendous energy and a zest for life among the younger inmates. Trying to retain the family structure, each mother looks after six children. Many of the children go to the government school down the road in Badami Bagh. The Guild provides the uniforms and books. Disturbing for some While many of the neighbours at Indira Nagar love Rahat Ghar and the healing touch it provides, others find its presence disturbing. The house rent is constantly jacked up and the Guild is desperately looking for a more spacious home for the widows and their children. The four women who run Rahat Ghar and Dr. Girija Dhar, who heads its advisory committee, are constantly on their toes trying to access the various welfare schemes for widows and their children — pension, cash compensation when the family bread winner is killed and the mandatory jobs that should be provided for the widow or eldest child of a government functionary killed in service. Initially, the home was set up in Handwara. When a bomb was hurled at a police post in front of the home, the 50-odd inmates moved to Srinagar in 2002. It's been a Herculean task to build Rahat Ghar and it is an even bigger task to sustain it. Many of the boys and girls are adolescents and keeping them under one roof is tough. Mariam, who is a widow of a militant, is quite determined that her children do not follow in their father's footsteps and pick up the gun. For Mohini Giri too, the biggest satisfaction is the number of young lads the home has saved from militancy. Now the Army wants to chip in and provide pre-recruitment training to its older boys. Nineteen children, who were traumatised when they came to the home, have recovered after counselling and care and are studying in Army schools in Allahabad, Pune and Srinagar. Like Santa Claus, the Army occasionally drops a sack of rice or sugar for Rahat Ghar. The rent and other financial assistance is provided by the Ministry of Women and Child under the Swadhar (self help) Scheme. Rubina has three sons and a daughter and has been a widow for five years. Her husband, Mohammed Shafiwani, was with the Jammu and Kashmir police and was returning to work from home leave when he was killed by militants. Since he was on leave when he was killed, the State refused to pay compensation to the widow. She was, however, offered a compensatory job. Her father-in-law asked her to marry her brother-in-law so that he could get the job. So she married, but within five months she was thrown out of the house and has been living at Rahat Ghar. Zamrooda has been following up Rubina's case with the police and is now confident that she will get her pension dues of Rs. six lakhs, plus a job as a constable. Rubina wants to buy a house for herself and look after her children. Once she is independent and employed, as per the rules of Rahat Ghar, she will move out with her children. Sixteen-year-old Dilshada's story is heart wrenching. Her father was killed while crossing the border to become a militant. Her mother, who was pregnant, died of shock. Her uncles tried to grab her property. Zahida, while doing a survey of the conflict afflicted in Handwara in 2001, found her begging and brought her to the home. The uncles filed a complaint of kidnapping against Zahida and accused her of grabbing Dilshada's compensation of Rs. 500 a month. The police resolved the case, and the money is deposited in Dilshada's bank account. On the path to recovery Zamrooda recalls that Dilshada was bleeding from the face and was so traumatised that she could not eat and her hair had greyed prematurely. Under the care and affection provided at the home, Dilshada has recovered and is stronger now. When she turns 18, she will take possession of her property, and hopefully, will manage her life too. Rifat Hussain, 7, is one of the youngest members of the home. Her parents separated and her father would not allow her mother to keep her. She was brought to the home by an "uncle" who thought she would be better cared for in Rahat Ghar. Jasmine, a ninth class student who has a similar history of being abandoned by parents, is Rifat's foster mom cum sister. Hazra Begum, the widow of Abdul Ahadwani, killed in a crossfire between army and militants in 1994, has been struggling for years to get her widow's pension of Rs. 200 a month. She has to look after three sons and three daughters. It was, however, paid just once in February 2005. She shows her empty pension book to all visitors in the hope that one of them will get her justice and pension from the social welfare department. Nighat and Ulfat, 17 and 13 years, are two lively youngsters with tremendous leadership qualities. Their father, a sepoy in the Army, was killed by militants while having tea in a dhaba in 1997. Their two uncles, who came for the funeral, were also killed. Their mother too was threatened and is living with her brother. Ulfat joined the Handwara home and then came to Rahat Ghar in 2002. Nighat joined her just two years ago. Though their mother received compensation of Rs. one lakh, she has still not got a job. The Guild of Service raises funds and organises cultural outings for the children so that they are integrated into the national mainstream. In 2003, Ulfat, along with 69 other children from the Valley, came to Delhi to see the Republic Day parade. On the Sat Bhavana Yatra, the children were taken to Agra, Amritsar, Ajmer, Puskar and Delhi. They met the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan and one of them, when asked "what would you like to be when you grow up", replied "the President of India!"
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