Gautam Sen
Rahat Ghar – or home of relief, was established in Maradgam village of Handwara district in 2001, basically for tendering to the girl children of north Kashmir, traumatised by militancy. Fifty such children initially came within its compassionate fold.
All these children had either lost a parent, or both parents or suffered some grievous personal loss owing to militant violence. Later, the number of such children increased to 110. On an average, 60 girl children have been within its care and training every year. At present, there are 62 such young girls growing up in this caring and compassionate abode at Chandilora village near Tangmarg. The present lot of children are however, not militancy affected as were the earlier ones, but had been sent to Rahat Ghar by their kith and kin, because of social turmoil or disturbance in their family, or even financial constraints. Jaya Iyer, the warden, a Keralite lady who grew up in Asansol town of West Bengal, has been the surrogate mother to these children for the past 18 years.
Rahat Ghar has nurtured these children, mainly from north Kashmir districts and the vicinity of Srinagar-Budgam area, from the tender age when they came to the home, till they completed studies up to Class 10, thereafter passed Class 12 and subsequently obtained vocational training including in soft skills, hospitality management, nursing abilities, for working as beauticians, physiotherapy, computer literacy, etc. During their stay at Rahat Ghar, the girls have been groomed keeping in view their culture and creed, and brought up to imbibe all the positive attributes of a wholesome and assimilative life. All the children of Rahat Ghar who left the home after completing their studies and training, now earn for their livelihood and sustain themselves as decent members of Kashmir society.
The institution has catered to the needs of girl children in the socially and politically disturbed Kashmir Valley environment, under the aegis of Dr. Mohini Giri, former chairperson of National Commission for Women and presently the chairperson of the Guild of Service, a reputed NGO. This institution could not have been what it has been over the years, without the activism and support of Dr. Giri and Jaya Iyer, and contribution in multifarious ways of a host of Kashmiri ladies and well-wishers like (now deceased) Dr. Girija Dhar and many lady professionals-cum-activists of the Valley. Creed, social background and political affiliation of parents of the affected destitute children, have been of no concern to the Guild and Rahat Ghar. It has been only selfless service of theirs for humanity through bringing up these children.
Rahat Ghar has been functioning more or less adequately with an annual budget of Rs. 17-18 lakh. The Guild has been funding this institution from its own resources, part of which was obtained under Swadhar scheme of the central government`s department of women and child development and partly from the former state government of Jammu and Kashmir`s resources. The Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force had sometimes supplemented the resources of Rahat Ghar by sponsoring educational visits of its girl children inmates. Rahat Ghar did not have a stable location till 2014, when it shifted to the present expansive house complex rented out by a local doctor in Baramula district. It had to shift location many times, since it was initially established in Handwara district. The present location is adequate to its needs, close to Magam – Gulmarg road.
In the evolving and sensitive milieu of the Kashmir Valley, Rahat Ghar has carried on, functioned within its resources, as a vibrant institution till recently when, some local extraneous influences seemed to impact the home. Notwithstanding such influences, Rahat Ghar and its warden, tenaciously continued to function. Finally, a conscious decision has been taken by the Guild, its management umbrella, to change the scope of its activities. It has been decided that Rahat Ghar would continue to support Kashmir society, through its vocational training activities, and not as a full-time residential shelter for girl children. The need for a dedicated warden or superintendent like the present incumbent, who was at the receiving end till recently, would nonetheless remain.
This change of course of Rahat Ghar after 2019, would in some way be a cataclysmic event. Though the Guild and Rahat Ghar would ensure that, the present lot of girl inmates go back to their parents and their family members, admit them to schools of their choice, and may even support them financially regarding expenditure on school fees, uniform, etc, life would nonetheless change dramatically for these girls. The social welfare department of government of Jammu and Kashmir, its commissioner, district administration, and other administrative establishments concerned, are aware of this. The regrettable aspect is that, there is no empathetic move or conscious or innovative effort, to facilitate the continuance of this home`s activities in its present form and content.
The situation could have been different if the people of the adjoining area, had come forward to own Rahat Ghar, not through finances or some administrative support structure under the aegis of the government, but by voluntary community efforts. If each girl child was owned by a local family but brought up within Rahat Ghar`s fold, the local interference would not have been there and also the children may not have had to be displaced to an environment manifestly different from where they have been till now. The consequences of the displacement to take place shortly, by February – March 2020, has to be carefully appraised and concomitant action to minimize the disturbing impact on the affected children`s lives, may have to be taken.
The utility or relevance of Rahat Ghar for Kashmir society would remain, though in a different form. This institution in its reincarnated form as planned by the Guild, would henceforth impart daytime training to local women in tailoring, geriatric care, aari-sozni thread work, etc. Many young Kashmiri girls and are expected to be the beneficiaries of such training. However, the molding of the lives of many young Kashmiri girls which Rahat Ghar successfully did over the years, may not henceforth be possible. This wonderful institution created by Dr. Mohini Giri and her Guild of Service, in essence may not be there from early next year. May be that, yearnings of Kashmiris who felt its impact, would induce some its former inmates, the girls who grew up there, to re-create it.
(The author is a retired senior Civil Service officer, who has served in Jammu & Kashmir and had recently visited Rahat Ghar.)
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