The rays of hope

On the rough roads of Santismo and beyond the shades of green rests the home that was built 300 years ago and is now under the central social welfare board. Today the house is referred to as ‘Asha Mahal’, a rehabilitation home for women. It was founded in 1978 by a strong intellectual woman Camilla da Costa and then carried forward by her committee. Today Asha Mahal is run by two amazing women; Lalita Fernandes and Socorrinha Vas.

Fernandes had come on board as a superintendent in the year 1980 and is still working there as a counselor. In her time there used to be approximately 80 residents, but today there are very few that come in. Asha Mahal is a home that takes in women that have been through difficult   struggles in their life. The staff help these women to reform and lend them guidance and counseling.

Vas, who is the current superintendent, first joined as a state organiser in Asha Mahal in 1989. “As a young girl in my teens I decided to join here not because it interested me, but because I was offered a job by my father’s friend,” said Vas. Back then, young and beautiful Socorrinha never knew that she would be so attached to this place and continues to enjoy helping out here.

Under the ‘Association for Social Health India’ there are 13 branches spread all over Goa having different types of social centres. There are two drug counselling centres, one in South of Goa, Almira Apartments and the other in North near the old TB hospital. Asha Mahal being one of them is situated in Taleigao, Panjim. All these homes are under the chairmanship of Walter Da Costa.

Asha Mahal is considered to be the oldest house in Taleigao belonging to Martinho Martins who gave it for the residents of Asha Mahal. Today there are a few residents but there is love, peace and harmony all around. Many different cases come in like women who have suffered domestic violence, rape victims, women in distress, women who come out of jail, women from the streets. Asha Mahal accepts them all and there is a heterogeneous atmosphere where religion, cast, creed, race and class do not exist.

According to Vas, in the ’90s there was a case of a foreigner who was caught for alcohol and drug abuse. She had liquor bottles everywhere with her and also hid it beneath her garments. She was arrested at the airport. After being held in police custody for a while she was brought to Asha Mahal to help her change. Here too she was found having quarters with her and the staff were scared to keep her because it was felt she might even pressure the others by giving them liquor. When caught by a staff she gave all the drugs she was hiding, but later it was confirmed that it was too risky to keep her with them. Thus they discharged her. There are very rare cases like these because usually whoever come to Asha Mahal are cared and concerned for.

Many families leave their women here due to various problems. The stay at Asha Mahal for 3 to 6 months minimum and 3 years maximum. But it is sad to see many women still waiting for their family to come and take them home. Some women have lived for many years and their families haven’t even bothered about them. They still wait, in HOPE (‘Hold on pain ends’) for them to come.

Vas described the cases of some women who are still residing here for several years. They have a schizophrenic patient who has currently improved a lot, also a heartfelt story of a 40-year-old woman who used to be beaten and tied up due to property issues in her family. Because of being tied up she is hunched. She spent 20 years of her life here, a few months more and she will be going home.

Even though sadness and despair exist, after funnelling out all the emotions… joy and hope is the one that glitters. The women share and care and live in harmony. They cook and eat. They share their nights in a dormitory with 20 bunk beds. Some women who live with their children there, send them to school. “In fact some women’s children have been married here itself,” Vas said.

The women are taught baking, art and craft, embroidery, gardening and crochet. They also make carpets and jute bags for exhibitions.

“We have a television where they watch whatever they wish, it’s not like there is no entertainment,” states Vas. They celebrate all the festivals from Christmas, Eid to Diwali. Other occasions too find a warm place here to be celebrated. On August 15 they have a grand celebration where people and their families are invited for lunch.

The staff and residents have a very healthy and good relationship with each other. Though at times there are conflicts or the residents are scolded but after all they have to learn to be in control.

Many staff members are leaving lately due to less salary from the Central social welfare board. The government seems to give less importance to homes like these and thus the caretakers are not paid well, which is why today Asha Mahal has very few staff members and most of the duties are handled by the residents themselves. Vas hopes and wishes that something could be done about it, but that would take years for the government to realize how important people are than politics. Hope is all they cling too. Whether it’s the residents, the staff or the common man, hope is the only answer.

“Forget the rest, my main duty is to keep the residents safe and happy and that’s what am doing and will always do,” Vas said humbly.

And thus the lives of the residents go on just the way it is until their day comes to move out.