Sarada's Story

Abandoned, and then...

A few years ago, Sarada was found in an unimaginable state on the main road where her son left her, just outside some public toilets. Since she couldn’t walk, he carried her down the steps of their bus and dumped her, promising he would come back. He never did. With ants and flies crawling all over her body, Sarada was barely conscious when the Om Shanthi Project administrator found her about two weeks later. She smelled terrible and was near death.

Arriving at the Om Shanthi Home, Sarada was so malnourished she was unable to stand up, couldn’t sleep in a bed and was unable to get to the bathroom in time to relieve herself. The other widows in the Home rejected her.

Cherished

Sarada’s determination was incredible, though, and her efforts to help herself were deeply moving. She dragged herself to the bathroom with her arms, and tried to help scrub her scalp and body when she was bathed. Unable to speak Tamil, Sarada couldn’t communicate with anyone until staff members were able to find a translator for her. Slowly the story came out that her husband was a military man in the neighboring state of Kerala and Sarada’s granddaughter is a nurse or doctor in London. Unfortunately there is no way to find her because the son disappeared without a trace.

Sarada still speaks only Malayalam, the Kerala language, but she sings, recites poems, and entertains the other women with her charm. Today Sarada is the darling of the Om Shanthi Home!

Your donations to the Om Shanthi Widows Project support Sarada and other women in great need.