With a husband who was taken away too soon and no other male to look after, Siraj Bi is a widowed mother of two daughters.
With a husband who was taken away too soon and no other male to look after, Siraj Bi is a widowed mother of two daughters. On a frightful night, she lost everything she had collected with her hard work. What was her mistake, you ask?
Siraj Bi happens to live in the Talab Chowk Area of the Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh. This area was the place where violence erupted following a communal clash between Hindus and Muslims in the month of April. This was because the month of Ramadan, considered the most important holy month in Islam, and the 10- day Hindu Festival of Ram Navami coincided this year, portraying the great diversity of our country, however, the clash soon turned hostile when the Ram Navami procession collided with people coming back from evening prayers.
For Siraj Bi, she had nothing to do with the violent clashes. She was saving up money to marry off one of her daughters. As a widow, it was solely upon her shoulders to get the daughters settled in their houses.
Siraj Bi had just finished her Maghrib prayers after Iftar when she heard loud noises outside. It sounded like boulders were falling from a height.
Unable to comprehend the commotion, Siraj Bi went outside and saw a mob of almost 300 people approaching her place. She could figure out from the expressions on their faces that they were coming to hurt them.
Siraj Bi quickly ran inside and bolted the door shut. Initially, she tried to reason with the mob. “There are no male members in my family. I live here with my two daughters only, please leave us alone” she cried out desperately.
However, the anger of the mob won over reason and humanity. The crowd was hell-bent on “teaching the other community a lesson. ” The overwhelming fear that must have filled the hearts of a mother and her helpless daughters is hard to imagine.
The three women were able to escape from the back door. They could not take anything with them and left the house empty-handed owing to the situation’s urgency.
In her home, Siraj Bi had preserved her dreams. Her source of income was from selling the garlands she made penny by penny; she had patiently saved money to marry her daughters.
After escaping, the three of them somehow passed the night. The following day when she arrived, she saw her house burnt, and the grains scattered on the floor along with burnt currency notes — which she had saved for her daughter’s wedding. Among her belongings scorched that day were also the clothes she had stitched for her daughter’s marriage.
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Ramadhan is a month that strives to extend financial help to the lowest strata of society. The concept of zakat reflects the importance of giving charity to those in need. Miles2miles contributed to its best potential to help Siraj Bi build her house and have a roof over her head. With the help received from Miles2Smile, Siraj Bi was able to repair her ceiling and is gradually striving to move past her difficulties.
