NEW DELHI: Oncerned over the state of the institution of family in countries lining the ancient and iconic ‘Silk Route’, four women from the city undertook an epic journey to 22 countries for forging partnerships with women to take steps for protecting the idea.The ancient ‘silk route’ has facilitated trade and an exchange of knowledge along countries in today’s Europe, Africa and Asia. Several countries on the route burgeoned into centres of study and wealth over time.
The four women — Madhuri Sahasrabudhe, Shital Deshpande, Urmila Joshi, and Madhavi Singh Tomar — set out to explore the de-institutionalisation of marriage and the issue of women in stress. Their journey took them to Nepal, Tibet, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Netherland, Bulgaria, and the UK.
“Youngsters have a lot of empathy to show for pets and the disabled, but the same appears to be missing for their parents. We came across elders abandoned by their children and single mothers under stress in the course of our road journey,” said Madhuri.
Their journey is the first of its kind. “We visited 47 cities, and interacted with 612 families, while logging in 23,600 kms in a small car. We made contacts with 36 organisations,” said Madhuri, adding that the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) extended support for the journey.
“We found overstressed mothers all over during the journey, with financial needs putting them under acute stress. We came across people who genuinely consider their children over the age of 15 as liabilities,” said Shital.