Interview with Diana Ros, founder of SOS Mujer by Ana Vega.

Diana Ros: “My main objective is to make the widows of India feel like human beings.”

“A widow should suffer until she dies, she should be modest and chaste.” This is one of the laws that is the foundation for the sacred texts of Hinduism, and also the catalyst which urged photographer Diana Ros to create a non-profit organization in defense of Indian widows. It’s called SOS Mujer, and it fights for the dignity of women stripped of all their humanity.

“A widow should suffer until she dies, she should be modest and chaste.”

 

Ros, although born in München-Gladbach (Germany), lives between Madrid and Barcelona. She has devoted herself to her passions: photography and denouncing the injustices that happen throughout the world. Some of her most important exhibitions, include "The Untouchables, Hidden Apartied in India" and “The other side of the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008. " We had the opportunity to talk to her about this new project which started with enthusiasm and excitement.

The project SOS Mujer began the 28^th of November 2008. What happened that day to instigate the creation of an NGO?

What really motivated me were a few simple phrases from the sacred Hindu texts, which say, “A wife that remains chaste after the death of her husband will go to heaven” and “A wife that is unfaithful will return to be born in the belly of a jackal.” These passages affected me so much that they convinced me to create an NGO dedicated exclusively to women. Upon reviewing all the information I have gathered, there doesn’t appear to exist any type of support dedicated to these women. On the 28^th of November I embarked on an unknown course. Although I had been to India a few times, I had never passed through Vrindavan. It was there that I learned how much help the widows really need.

You have travelled throughout the whole world photographing all types of places and societies. Why did you decided to start this project in Vrindavan instead of, for example, in Tibet, where they also face many injustices?

Yes, it’s true that I have used photography twice to portray the injustices that exist in Tibet, but I suppose that in China they treat it as more of a political and religious problem. On the other hand, in India the treatment of the widows is not an infraction against the state’s laws, but it still is a social issue.

What are the circumstances for the widows in India? In what conditions do they live?

In a society ruled by the religious castes, in spite of being abolished by the state, women, upon the death of their husbands, shave their heads and dress completely in white to demonstrate their mourning. Their own families reject and expel them from their houses condemning to stay with others in the same situation. Ninety-seven percent are illiterate and flee fearing for their lives. They walk without a single possession until they arrive to the holy city of Vrindavan, where their status as widows is lower, even below that of the Untouchables, who do not merit any job or task, and cannot even show their joy in public. Since their presence is considered a bad omen they can only sing in religious centres during the day for a rupee and sleep in the street at night.

Koala Ghosh is a woman who fights for social change and the widows of Vrindavan. A model to follow and an inspiration for you, I’m sure. Was it her that convinced you that the circumstances for the widows in India could be better?

Searching the internet, I found scarce information about the widows of Vrindavan, but there was an article that talked about Komala Ghosh. Once I was there I put myself in contact with her, we became friends and I had the opportunity to intimately know the horrifying stories of widows that come to Vrindavan from the most remote parts of India. Although one of us is Indian and the other Spanish, the basis of our friendship is founded upon a shared vision of these injustices. Komala has suffered the same rejection from Indian society, including her own family, for helping the widows. And, although her help is limited to simply listen and treat the widows as human beings, through her it is apparent that with very little, you can do a lot for the widows.

What are the main courses of action for SOS Mujer?

My main objective is to make these women feel like human beings. Above all, the first step of our assistance will be to obtain the pensions that correspond with their status as a widow. They are unaware of these benefits because they are illiterate. On the other hand, we will create a centre of primary medical assistance in additional to a welcome centre which they can run themselves.

In an archaic society such as India, it would not be simple for a Western woman to go and help the widows who are absolutely lacking in rights. How do you confront your detractors?

Indian society is complex in all its aspects. If the religion and the society have brought the widows to live in the street in absolute poverty, it is also Indian society that offers very little help to these women, only a bit of charity. So far, I have had luck and I have not directly encountered detractors. But I intend to stay at the margin and to give the utmost respect to their religious beliefs. I walk on a very thin line between the acceptable and the unacceptable and I hope to remain here.

Vicente Ferrer is a model to those with a vocation in philanthropy. How do you view his work in India?

I have had the honour of being of being one of the lucky ones who spoke with Vicente Ferrer on one of my visits to Anantapur. There I was able to see the spectacular and impressive work they are doing, especially their aid to women which has always interested me. Nowadays, I continue to collaborate with his foundation, although during these visits I never planned to found an NGO. Obviously, it’s one model to follow, but his project is so big, so enormous, that you could never imagine how to do something similar. Years later, when I met Jaume San Llorente, founder of “Sonrisas de Bombay,” was when I decided to take the plunge and create my own NGO to help women. It was he who encouraged me and guided me in the beginning stages.

Interview by Ana Vega