For over a decade, the Mahila dakshata Samiti has offered protection, help and solutions to hundreds of emotionally and physically hurt women in Karnataka.
The Karnataka branch located in Bangalore was established by Saranya Hegde, who now acts as the Karnataka President and All India Vice-President.
“We get around 70 cases every three months aside from those who come to the place for financial or medical help,” said Hegde. The Mahila Dakshata Samiti is also actively involved in conducting various awareness campaigns and medical camps in the outskirts of the city. “On the first Sunday of every month we conduct a diabetics camp in different villages and we give free medical help to all diabetic patients,” she added.
Hegde cites alcoholism as being the main reason for domestic abuse and violence against women in the lower economic classes. She said, “Among the upper middle classes, both partners work nowadays, both want different things from life and both are not willing to compromise. When they come to us we hold counselling sessions for them and they to settle the matter.”
Besides the counselling facilities the Mahila Dakshata Samiti also offers a ‘short-stay’ home for women who have been either abandoned by their families or have left because of mental or physical torture. In such cases, the ‘short-stay’ home provides a temporary residence for the women while the Samiti tries either to resolve the matter or trains the individual to be independent.
“Most women do not know that there is some place they could go for help so they decide to commit suicide,” said Hegde who further added, “However, we are trying to make it known that we have a place they could come to.”
The Samiti runs a government school in Geddanahalli and was one of the few organisations to have a midday meal scheme even before the government introduced it. It also provides financial assistance to girls who cannot afford any education.
With pride in her voice, Hegde said, “Four or five of our sponsored girls have just finished engineering and are now placed in good companies. There is one girl doing her second year MBBS and one of our girls is studying for the IAS. The only two criteria we hold for scholarships are that the girls should be really poor and she should be academically brilliant.”
Applications have been invited for financial aid for girl students from economically weak families in Bangalore City with 80 per cent or more marks in Class 10 or 12.
The application with attested marks card, three passport-sized photographs, contact number and self-addressed stamped post card may be sent to Mahila Dakshata Samiti, No 66/A, AECS Layout, Sanjaynagar Main Road, Geddalahalli, Bangalore, 560094 within 15 days of announcement of the results.
