White Rainbow Project

Oprah Visits Vrindavan!

2012-01-23T13:21:00.001-08:00

Thank God that Oprah has finally visited Vrindavan! Years ago when I first made the film "White Rainbow" producers from her show contacted me about being interviewed about the film and the plight of the widows in Vrindavan. Sadly nothing came of it. Now just last week, Oprah has seen their misery for herself! Here is a quote from her recent interview with Barkha Dutt a journalist in India about that experience. Now I hope that she will be able to watch "White Rainbow" to get a clearer picture of what their lives are really like. Go Oprah! When you speak the world does listen!
Oprah Winfrey: Well I have to say, that meeting with the widows, caused a shift in my own consciousness. You know, as I was saying, I wanted to use, and chose to use this platform of television for illumination. But there was a moment standing there with Dr Giri who's taken in as many widows as her pocket book will allow, that I realized that the marginalisation; you know I've spoken for years about the marginalisation of women, I've spoken for years on my shows about the need for women to own their own voices and to be able to hold the space for themselves. And that the greatest freedom in the world, the reason for freedom is that you get to decide for yourself what to do with your life. That's what real freedom is. And I'm not just an advocate for that, I live that, you know, being a woman who stands inside herself. So standing in the Ashram, with all of these widows who have been discarded simply because their husbands died. The shift for me was, this should not be allowed to happen. I immediately emailed my friend, Maria Shriver, who for years has held a woman's conference in the state of California, and I sent her the pictures of the widows, and said that you and I have to combine our efforts and we have to get with every other woman that we know, to combine our efforts and to make sure that this kind of thing gets eradicated in the world. It doesn't make any sense. Where intelligent women stand to allow the pervasive discrimination of a woman because her husband died, for something you don't have any control over. So you become a second class citizen. But I also had an 'Aha' moment in the midst of it because it's so easy to judge and say, "Oh my God, look at what they're doing". In the midst of interviewing Dr Giri, she said you know it happens, because I was asking is it just a, is it a caste thing, the situation? Or is it a class situation? Because certainly if you are a woman of privilege and your husband dies, this doesn't happen to you. She said you know it's subtle. When you're a woman of privilege and your husband dies, you just don't get invited to as many parties. You're not included, true? And you know when she said that, for the first time I thought, you know I've never spoken to widows in the United States, I'm sure it's true all over the world. Over the world, it happens. What I saw with the widows with her, is the extreme, but you just become a little less in the eyes of your friends because they think that death is contagious, and if it happened to you, then it reminds me that it could happen to me. So I think that attitude, that shift in attitude, needs to happen. Shift in consciousness, needs to happen all over the world, but certainly here. I'm going to be working with Dr Giri to see what I can do to support that. It's one thing to support the widows. And then she was saying you have to chant all day for 2 rupees and a bag of rice and you're discarded by your families. That doesn't make any sense to me. I couldn't understand the paradox of a country that loves its family, loves its tradition and has such respect and honour for their elders, and how do you get cast aside because your husband has died. Women outlive men all over the world. So automatically being, being made a second class citizen. That is a big issue for me.

Barkha Dutt: You have, as you said, been exposed to the paradox of India, the glitterati ..

Oprah Winfrey: India is a paradox.

Barkha Dutt: India is a paradox

Oprah Winfrey: Yes.

Indria Goswami, Celebrated Writer on Widowhood Dies

2011-11-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

I just heard the sad news today that Indira Goswami had passed away. I have my google alerts set on Vrindavan Widow so that I can keep abreast of any news that affects our work. Today the alert was about a remarkable woman who was a source of inspiration when my husband Dharan wrote the screenplay for our film "White Rainbow". Many times people ask me who the protagonist in "White Rainbow" is based on and I always mention that the character is loosely based two women, one is a young affluent widow that was suicidal, but eventually went to Vrindavan and started helping the widows there.

Read the articles below and you will see the similarity. I am thankful that Indira spoke out and wrote about such a sensitive and personal issue so that many others can be helped!

Excerpts from The Hindu Newspaper
Indira Goswami, who died on Tuesday aged 69, was among India's most celebrated contemporary writers whose work spoke boldly and evocatively for the empowerment of women and other marginalised sections of society across the country. For this, she won the nation's highest literary honours, and respect and adulation in her home State Assam, where she was known as “baideiu” or elder sister. Far ahead of its times, her Neelkantha Braja was one of the earliest works of Indian literature to highlight the exploitation of destitute widows in Vrindavan. The book was born out of Goswami's own early widowhood, and a short experimental stay in a widows' home in the U.P town. Her frank Adhalekha Dastavej (An Unfinished Autobiography), written in 1988, details her battle with intense depression after her husband's death, her nights with sleeping tablets, handfuls of which she swallowed in two attempts to end her life, and the story of how she won the struggle by immersing herself completely in her writing. From Wikipedia After the sudden death of her husband, in a car accident in the Kashmir region of India, after only eighteen months of marriage, she became addicted to heavy doses of sleeping tablets

Her experiences as a widow as well as a researcher finds expression in her novel The Blue Necked Braja (1976), which is about the plight of the widows of Vrindavan who lived in abject poverty and sexual exploitation in everyday life. One of the main issues that the novel touches upon is the plight of young widows for whom companionship beyond the confines of their ashrams and fellow widows become impossible. Their urge to live, as well as the moral dilemma that they face vis-a-vis the order of precepts of religion in this regard, are brought out with astonishing clarity and feeling in the novel. The novel exposed the uglier face of Vrindavan — the city of Krishna, an Hindu deity — inviting criticism of Goswami from conservative sections of the society. It remains a classic in modern Indian Literature. It is autobiographical in character as she says the anguish of the main character Saudamini, reflects what she had gone through after her husband had died.It was also the first novel to be written on this subject. The novel was based on Goswami's research on the place as well as real-life experience of living in the place for several years before she joined the University of Delhi as a lecturer.

Giving Thanks!

2011-11-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. Hebrews 13:16

Dear Friends, November is a time to give thanks and the White Rainbow Project is very grateful for all our blessings! We had an amazing "Friend Raiser" dinner, a very successful "Party with a Purpose" and I just returned from a very productive trip to India. Please read the below to get all the exciting details and please continue to remember our work in your thoughts and prayers. All the Best for the upcoming Holiday Season, Linda

First Annual Friend Raiser Dinner A big thank you to all who came out to our first annual Friend Raiser dinner which was held on October 11th at North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad California. Over 65 people came to hear about the exciting ways that God is blessing our work. Suzanne Baker of the Spiritual Spa hosted our event and shared about the importance of friendship - friendship is something that is chosen something to cherish and not taken lightly. Linda Mandrayar the co-founder and executive director gave an overview of the history of the White Rainbow Project where we've been and where we are going. Anne Taylor of Anne Taylor Catering provided a delicious Indian meal and the rest of the WRP team shared about ways to become friends of the White Rainbow Project by becoming a social media friend, sponsoring a widow, hosting a Party with a Pupose or joining us on an upcoming service trip. Learn more at www.whiterainbowproject.org Party with a Purpose Carolyn Feneck and Debra Kolek hosted a wonderful Party with a Purpose on October 18th at Debra's beautiful home in Temecula, Ca. Over 20 of their friends came and watched the White Rainbow film enjoyed a light Indian meal and then many of them purchased items from the White Rainbow Collection. Over $800 dollars was raised to help the widows. Won't you consider hosting one as well? It is so rewarding and the items make wonderful Christmas gifts. There is no cost and we will send you everything you need. Contact us right away to get your event kit.
YWAM Team comes to Vrindavan to help the Widows Youth with a Mission is an international volunteer movement giving young people opportunities to demonstrate the love of Jesus to the whole world. When I was in India this past July, I met with a YWAM team that worked in another holy city, Varanasi. I shared with them about our work with the widows in Vrindavan and I showed them a copy of White Rainbow. After viewing the film, 9 of them felt led to come to Vrindavan to minister to the thousands of widows living there. I was fortunate to meet up with them on my recent trip to India, October 29th - November 12th. They are doing fantastic work and have had such a positive influence on so many already. They are staying in Vrindavan for the entire month of November so please keep them in your prayers!
Ganga and Mukesh's Wedding One of the most rewarding parts of working with the White Rainbow Project is to see lives that have been transformed. Ganga is one of those lives. Ganga was a young widow living in a shelter with little hope for the future. Last summer, Katie and I taught her how to make paper beaded necklaces and offered to pay her for the necklaces and asked her to teach other widows how to make them as well. She started to earn a living, regained her confidence, and married Mukesh a paraplegic man who had also been abandoned in Vrindavan by his parents when he was a child. I was fortunate to attend their wedding ceromony on November 2nd. The bride was radiant in a lavender sari that had been dontated for the White Rainbow Collection. God is Good!

WRP Fabulous Weekend at Pepperdine University

2011-10-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

The White Rainbow Project team had a fabulous weekend at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California to help celebrate Pepperdine's 75th Anniversary. We were invited to participate in the Waves of Service showcase. What is Waves of Service you may ask?

The Waves of Service movement celebrates, supports, and connects Pepperdine alumni committed to volunteerism and careers of service worldwide. The vision of Waves of Service is to become the world's most active alumni service movement in the world.

My husband, Dharan and I are Pepperdine alums. It was so much fun to be back at Pepperdine where we met and were married over 25 years ago!

We made some really great connections with other amazing alums who are making a difference in the world.

Chelsea Kadovitz of Global Christian Taskforce -www.TheGCT.com -Focusing the Light to Free those trapped in Darkness- They specifically want to help orphans and widows worldwide by partnering with other non-profits. What a great fit for us!

Kelly Gonzales of The Mulligan Project-www.themulliganproject.org-Improving the lives of children with disabilities in Central Vietnam

Doug Plank of MobileCause-www.mobilecause.com-Communicate, Connect, Raise Funds- They help other non-profits connect with donors.

We feel honored to be surrounded by such caring and giving people and we are so proud of our alma mater for encouraging service to others!

Go Waves!!!!

Celebrating the !st International Widows Day with the Widows at Ma Dham

2011-08-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

On June 23^rd, we got to celebrate the first International Widows Day with the widows at Ma Dham. This day was recently instituted by the United Nations. We purchased snacks and sweets for the widows with the money that WRP board member, Jon Silvester's daughter, Jordan and her friends raised by singing at church. We had a big picture of the girls and cards and pictures that they had made and we shared with the widows that the girls were praying for them and how they had donated the money to treat them. They were so happy and really appreciated our being there with them. The girls' smiling faces touched their hearts and warmed their spirits.

The White Rainbow Collection is Born

2011-05-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Using saris, donated by compassionate Indian women, the WRP has them sewn into Tunic Tops and Gift Bags under the label WHITE RAINBOW COLLECTION. An online store was set up to sell the Tops and Gift bags. In addition some stores and Yoga studios have agreed to carry the collection for us.

The initial response has been overwhelming. People are drawn to the vivid colors and comfortable design of the tunic tops and enthusiastic about the various uses for the reusable gift bags. With proceeds from the sales going to help the efforts of the White Rainbow Project people have been eager to buy them to support the cause. Click on the link to visit our online store

WHITE RAINBOW COLLECTION to browse and purchase some for yourself. If you are aware of any stores or businesses in your area that may be willing to carry the tops or bags, please do let us know.

Happy International Women's Day

2011-03-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Dear White Rainbow Project Friends,
Today is International Women's Day and it is fitting that I update you on our recent trip to work with some of the most maligned women still on the planet, the destitute widows of Vrindavan, India. Through no fault of their own, these women are relegated to much lower than second class citizens just because they had the misfortune of out living their husbands. Amazing in this day in age.

Jon, Hannah and I had an eventful 10 day trip to India. The weather was great. Cool in the evenings and mornings and not many bugs. Much better than my last trip in July!

Jon is a founding member of the White Rainbow Project and this was his first trip to India and Hannah is a senior at Poway High School and she chose to do her senior project as an ambassador for the White Rainbow Project. She raised over $2,200 to cover her expenses for the trip and to help pay the salary for a nurse at the widow’s shelter. She made Peppermint Bark and sold it at Christmas time to friends and fellow students. Way to go Hannah! She is a wonderful young lady with a great attitude who will go far in life.

We arrived early Sat. morning, slept for a few hours at a modest hotel by the Delhi airport and then headed out on a three hour journey to Vrindavan that same afternoon to stay at Ma Dham the widow’s shelter run by the Guild for Service. We were joined by Jenni, a Finnish radio journalist and Rosa, a Spanish philanthropist, who had both seen the film “White Rainbow” and were interested in seeing how they could help spread the word about the plight of the widows in Vrindavan.

The widows and the staff warmly greeted us when we arrived at Ma Dham. The next morning we handed out small gifts (body lotion and nail clippers) to all the women. Many of them had never used nail clippers before and had to be shown how to work them. They had been using razor blades before so this was a welcome change. It was such a great experience to be able to show love with just a simple gesture.

They have a new nurse named Neeru who is wonderful. She is in her early 20’s and has the sweetest smile. She really enjoys her job and takes such good care of the widows. She was hired a few months ago by the Guild after we had offered to support a nurse at Ma Dham.

On Wednesday, we went into Vrindavan and visited the Bajan Ashrams where the widows chant and got a tour from one of the men that work there. He wanted a donation for the temple of course. It was just like a scene out of the film. We visited a bazaar so that Hannah could get some gifts for her friends and supporters. At sunset we went on a boat ride on the famous Yamuna River.

Whenever I visit Vrindavan and see all of the widows who are still uncared for it makes me realize that there is still so much more to be done here. Cynthia, who was formerly living at Ma Dham, has rented an apartment in the city so that she can get a clearer picture of how to be more effective in helping the most needy widows. She has made some new connections with other Indian non-profits that are working with the widows. One organization is the Methodist Health Center that hosts medical clinics and helps widows get their pensions. We hope to learn more about their work to see if we can be of help to them as well.

On Thursday we met with Asha James who is one of my favorite friends in India. She is helping us put together our fund raising initiative of having compassionate Indian women donate their beautiful saris for us to make unique tunic tops and gift bags to market here in the states. We hope this helps support our mission of caring for destitute widows in Vrindavan. She showed us some of the new samples, so we are excited to share them with you. You can check them out on our website on the White Rainbow Collection tab or directly link there here at www.whiterainbowcollection.myshopify.com.

On Saturday morning we visited the Taj Mahal. This was my second visit and I do have to say that it gets more majestic each time that I see it.

Before heading out to the airport, we went back to Ma Dham for our final good byes. It is heart breaking to say good-bye to those sweet, sweet widows and the hard working staff. We feel like we have really made some special relationships there. We headed back to Delhi to catch our late night flight back to LA with so much to be thankful for!

India is an amazing place that cannot be fully described until you go there. We all thought that we were going to die several times on the crazy highways, and the things you see will blow your mind, like 5 people on a motorbike and 18 people in an auto rickshaw meant for 4. There are cows, pigs, dogs, monkeys, camels and even some elephants everywhere on the streets that have open sewers and trash overflowing on them. And don’t even get me started about the smells and the air pollution, but the best part about India is its people. You will never meet more hospitable and kind people anywhere else on earth. Like I said, you just have to experience it for yourself.

Who wants to join us for the next trip?

Dr. Giri Speaks at NKU and Xavier University

2010-12-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

Last March, Northern Kentucky University photography professor Barbara Houghton visited Ma Dham to document the work Dr. Giri is doing to help the widows of Vrindavan for her photographic essay titled "Changing India, one Woman at a Time". She invited Dr. Giri and I to come for the gallery opening on November 15th. She also arranged to have Dr. Giri speak on the status of widows in India and screened "White Rainbow" at her University as well as neighboring Xavier University. It was a wonderful trip. Barbara and her husband Keith, hosted us at their lovely home set in the woods and served us excellent food. It was a great time to get to know Dr. Giri better in a relaxed environment. Her talks were powerful and her enthusiasm was contagious.
I'm looking forward to our upcoming trip in February to continue with the important work that is set before us. Won't you join us? It will be life changing!

Excerpts from an exciting update from Cynthia

2010-10-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

I was asked by Dr. Giri to organize a program celebrating both International Elderly Day and Gandhi’s birthday on 2nd Oct. I asked the pastor of the Methodist Church in Mathura to pray about speaking, but he sent a local pastor to meet me. His name is Dinesh Lal. He pastors some home churches here in Vrindavan. He speaks some English also. He spoke at the program and was well received. He has a sweet spirit and a broken heart for the hurting. He has begun coming once a week to lead a Bible study. The first class began with a short meeting that was a follow up from the program so there were about 25 women there. A few left when brother Dinesh began, but we had 18 stay for the whole thing. He taught from John 4 on the woman at the well. The next week we had 8 attend the bible study. I had asked him to talk about the character of our Lord. He taught on the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22. He also translated so I could share my personal testimony. That was the highlight of my stay here!

Brother Dinesh’s relative is the administrator of a Methodist Health Center that is about 40 klm from here. They conduct free medical camps in Vrindavan every Monday morning. Geeta, the manager, and I are going to visit the center on next Thursday morning, and get camps scheduled for the widows here at Ma Dham. God is Good.

I’m so looking forward to being with you all again. I arrive home 10th Nov.
Love, Cynthia

Widows Stories

2010-09-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

Cynthia has been busy these past few months that she has been living in Vrindavan at the Ma Dham shelter for destitute widows. One of her favorite tasks has been interviewing widows that she has been caring for and loving on so that she can learn more about them and pass on their stories to us. Please take a moment to learn about them to see if it would be in your heart to help sponsor the care for these women. Every bit helps and every hug counts! We will be highlighting one widow at a time so keep checking back to see more faces and read more stories.

Gauri Biswash

Age: approximately 75 When asked her age she said, “500!” She married at age 13. Her husband was 22. She had one son. She became a widow at age 40. Three years after her husband died her son threw her out of the house so she came to Vrindavan. She has no contact with her family because it is too painful. She has difficulty walking, but she can still get around on her own very slowly.

Home from a Successful Trip! July 15-30, 2010

2010-08-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

Our first official White Rainbow Project trip was a complete success! Joining us this first time were Pepperdine University students, Brianna, Austin and Sid and Palomar College student, Danielle. Cynthia was happy to greet us at the widow's shelter known as Ma Dham, as she had been there a few weeks in advance of our arrival. The weather was hot and there were lots of interesting bugs in our rooms at night, but we did not let that distract us from our main goal of ministering to the widows. We spent most of the mornings cleaning the rooms and bathrooms of the bedridden widows, gaining their trust and showing them kindness. Even though we could not speak their language, we were able to communicate with them perfectly as LOVE needs no translation. It was the best part of the trip!

We also visited the Bajan Ashrams (the temples where the widows chant) in Vrindavan. That was almost like watching a scene from the movie "White Rainbow". We saw thousands of widows there, chanting for hours. When some of the widows would fall asleep, the matrons of the ashram would hit them with a long stick. The men in charge were not happy when we wanted to interview some of them and let them know about Ma Dham. It is shocking to see how these women continue to be exploited. Some were so old, they could barely walk. We were also surprised to see many young widows, some with young children. One girl in particular had such a sad face. It really made an impression on us and we all vowed to help raise awareness and funds so that more of these women can come to Ma Dham and escape the cycle of abuse and neglect.

We are planing on making our next trip in November during Thanksgiving break. Won't you join us? It is definitely a life changing experience!

Cynthia Made it!

2010-06-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

I am so thrilled! Cynthia Roberts just arrived in Vrindavan and is staying at the Shelter (Ma Dham) with the widows. Cynthia saw White Rainbow over 2 years ago and decided that some thing had to be done. She has volunteered to be the first White Rainbow Project team member staying full time with the widows at Ma Dham. She will be our liaison between the sponsors and the widows. She will also be looking for tangible ways that we can express God's Love for these women. The first thing she noticed was how they were suffering in the heat. Since the electricity goes off constantly and there is not enough funds to buy petrol for the generators to keep the fans running, Cynthia decided that that would be her first gift. She is going to buy enough petrol to keep the electricity on so that the widows do not have to suffer the sweltering heat without fans. Thank you Cynthia for truly being the Hands and Feet of Christ! You are amazing and I'm looking forward to joining you in service in July. I hope it cools down a little by then :)

Hello Everyone!

2010-04-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for your prayers! We had a great trip, with lots of excitement and lots of praying. I'm just getting around to filling you all in because as soon as I returned, I had to jump into running the Film Festival that I am the programming director for. Now that, that is over- I'm ready to dive full force into the White Rainbow Project!

Cissy and I had a good flight over to India- we met up in Newark and then flew non-stop to Delhi. It was a long flight (15 hours) but we used the time to talk, read, sleep and pray. When we arrived in Delhi, there was a driver from the Guild of Service to pick us up. He took us to the Guild's headquarters in Delhi, which also serves as a hostel for young professional women. They had a lovely (air conditioned) guest room for us on the roof- top with nice views overlooking a park. We met with Dr. Giri for breakfast the next morning in her living quarters. She was so inviting and happy to host us. She is still very grateful for the White Rainbow film, as it has helped her to raise funds for the work she does. She is such an amazing woman. Cissy really liked her and they hit-it off beautifully!

The next morning we visited a nearby hotel that Dr. Giri suggested that we use for our group trips. It was a very clean and charming hotel that was reasonably priced. Dr. Giri was even able to get us a good discounted rate!

We then visited a historic site- The Quatab Minar- the funniest thing was everyone wanted pictures of us- we turned out to be the attraction! Later that day, a new friend, who just started driving in India, took us on an adventure to find Asha James, the woman who exports fine embroidered linen to my friend in the States. Her office was on the opposite side of the city. We eventually found it after asking hundreds of people directions! Asha was amazing! Such a warm and caring person! The work she does it beautiful but more importantly is her heart to help others! She is willing to help train some of the widows to do work for her so they can make an income.

The next day we traveled with Dr. Giri, Meera Khana ( the vice chairman) and several others, to their widows shelter "Ma Dham" in Vrindavan. Dr. Giri was going there to prepare for a huge function they were hosting the following week to dedicate the Inter-Faith Pavilion she had constructed at Ma Dham. Many dignitaries were invited as well as the Governor of the State. Dr. Giri explained that this Inter-Faith Pavilion was a life long dream of hers. She is hoping for unity and peace among all peoples. In India, their is much blood shed over religion, so she felt this would help bring about tolerance.

Dr. Giri and others just stayed for the day and then left Cissy and I to stay at Ma Dham for a few days. She had arranged for a young woman named Nisha to take care of us and to bring us Chai Tea in the mornings and afternoons. Nisha, had been thrown out of her home by her husband, and she was seeking shelter. The Guild of Service was going to train her to be a nurse, but taking care of us was her first assignment.

Ma Dham is like an oasis in the desert. It is a brand new beautiful facility on nearly 5 acres. It is situated just off the main road to Vrindavan about 5 miles outside the city. It is completely fenced with 4 large buildings. The front building has a huge hall downstairs and 5 guest-rooms upstairs that has a separate kitchen and huge dining hall. It is a perfect place for us to stay. Cissy and I stayed in a large room which was nicely furnished. It is very clean and comfortable. Almost like a retreat center. We had the whole place to ourselves. There is a large terrace that surrounds the whole building looking out at the neighboring fields. Very relaxing!

The other buildings are the medical center and offices and 2 large dormitories where the widows stay. Currently 120 widows live at the shelter along with the staff. Most of the women are older, with some more outgoing than others. We spent time speaking with the few who could speak english. Most seemed friendly and curious about us. One of the dormitories has the kitchen and TV area. The other one houses the widows that are sick and immobile. The main observation that I have about Ma Dham is that it is currently under utilized. There is plenty of room for many more widows. The Guild just does not have the funds to care for more at this point, but they hope to be able to house 500 widows there.

The next morning one of the counselors that works at Ma Dham, took us into the heart of Vrindavan to see the thousands of widows chanting in the Ashrams (temples). It was quite a sight. Just like the White Rainbow movie. For me it was the end and begining of a long journey. I have been waiting for this day for years, to finally see the widows face to face. It was pretty overwhelming. The city itself is very crowded with all kinds of people. It was bizarre to say the least. It was interesting to see many foreigners dressed in Indian clothes coming to worship in the temples. I found out that most of them were from Russia. They are seekers, coming to follow Krishna and the Hare Krishna movement.

The counselor also took us on a tour of 5 neighboring villages where the Guild has established "Self Help" groups to help the poor women of the area. We met lots of friendly people and adorable children, living in deplorable conditions.

On Sunday, Cissy and I visited the Taj Mahal. It was so beautiful. The first glimpse, took my breath away! The following day we took the train back to Delhi. Remind me never to do that again! Let's just say God sent his angels to protect us.

After seeing all that we had, I was confused as to what God wanted us to do. We were going to meet with Meera Khana of the Guild to begin to organize the trips. I was feeling at a loss. It seemed to me that the task of helping these widows was too huge to handle. Cissy and I prayed and I had a good quiet time reading my Bible and calling out to God. He is amazing, he came to me just at my bleakest hour and revealed to me that He would do the work, all I needed to do was to step out in faith, one step at a time.

Our meeting with Meera went really well! We came up with the idea of having the WRP group host a lunch at Ma Dham for widows that were living in the Ashrams in Vrindavan. We would provide transportation for at least 100 widows to come to Ma Dham (most of the widows in Vrindavan don't even know that there is such a wonderful place). We would serve them lunch, entertain them with a play (something to share with them about God's Love for them) and then give them a gift bag of soap, lotion and footwear (flip-flops). We would also invite the ones that wanted to stay there a permanent home. That is where the White Rainbow Project would come in to pay for there up- keep, which runs about $50 a month. My goal is to be able to support at least 100 widows our first year.

Cissy left to go home and I flew down to Chennai to stay with Dharan for a few days, We worked on creating a short 3 minute promo to show at Churches. I'm going to post it on Youtube soon.I

I am just putting together the July trip. I hope that some of you will join me. I think it is important that the first few trips are mainly filled with WRP people! Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to give you all an overview on how God is working this whole adventure out!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Just Courage

2010-03-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

Seek justice,

rescue the oppressed,

defend the orphan,

plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)

This is the expedition that brings freedom to both those who follow and those who are found.

If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in darkness,

and your night will become like noonday.

The LORD will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:10-11)

In preparation for my trip, I just finished reading Gary Haugen's book - "Just Courage- God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian". Gary is the founder International Justice Mission-

www.IJM.org. Their mission is seek social justice for the oppressed, worldwide.

As I leave next week for Vrindavan- The City of Widow's" where so many women are oppressed, I pray that God will give me the courage to fight on their behalf!

More Angels on Board

2010-03-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

So much has transpired since my last post.... God has brought more people to help me with this project. Brianna is a young energetic recent Pepperdine graduate who saw the screening of White Rainbow that we had at Pepperdine University last month. She was so moved by the film that she has volunteered to help us get the non-profit up and running and she is planning on joining us on our first service trip planned for July 15-30. This trip is for Pepperdine students and anyone else that wants to join us. We only have space for 12 people so if you are interested, email me right away!!!

The next Angel is Cissy Watson, a good friend from our Pepperdine days, who will be joining me for the exploratory trip that I am going on next week. Cissy has lots of experience in non-profit organizations as she has been involved with ministries in Honduras and Africa. Pray for us that God will reveal to us exactly what he would have us do.

The next and most exciting development is my new friend, Cynthia Roberts, from Arkansas. Cynthia saw White Rainbow over a year ago, and was moved to go to Vrindavan to check out the situation for herself. She found the Guild's Shelter- Ma Dham- and she feels led to stay and work there for at least 5 months. She is willing to help with the White Rainbow Project by being a permanent presence there. God is so Good! (Cynthia is standing with Dr. Mohini Giri of the Guild of Service in the picture above)

It Must Be A God Thing!

2009-12-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

After starting the White Rainbow Project so many amazing things have been coming together that I know they have to be the work of God. There is really no other explanation for the way things just seem to be falling into place. I shouldn't be surprised though because I know that He loves these widows more that any of us could ever know!

I just want to document some of these incidents because as time progresses and more and more miracles keep happening I don't want to lose sight of the way God has been working behind the scenes, orchestrating this journey.

When I first felt led to start the White Rainbow Project, I was at a loss. I did not have the funds nor the expertise or time to start a non-profit. I prayed that if God really wanted me to do this he would have to provide others to come alongside me to get it going. No sooner had I prayed this prayer than he started providing the people and organizations to help me.

The first "angel" he sent my way was a friend of mine from church Jon Slivester. Jon has always been interested in my film White Rainbow. His in-laws had been financial supporters of the film, so he had known about it for quite sometime. He has a passion for India, as one of his favorite Christian speakers was Ravi Zacharias, a renowned author and apologist who is originally from India, but now has a dynamic ministry in the U.S. Ravi's daughter Namoi had seen White Rainbow over a year ago and she was motivated to go to Vrindavan to help fund the Guild of Service. When I shared with Jon about my desire to start a non-profit to help the widows, he told me that he and his wife had just been praying about doing something to make a real difference in the lives of others, he told me that he felt certain that this was his calling. He told me that he would take care of the details of starting the non-profit and that I should just concentrate on making it happen!

The next amazing connection is that Ravi Zacharias' other daughter, Sarah who works for my alma mater Pepperdine University mentioned to me that they have just started a whole new program called "The Waves of Service" whereby they partner with alumni that are doing service work to support them by promoting their work to students and fellow alumni. When I told them about the White Rainbow Project, they were all over it! They thought it was a wonderful project and now they are working with me on many levels to support my efforts. They have arranged for me to screen White Rainbow on campus on Feb. 2. They are also including the service trips in their on going volunteer program and they have already helped me plan the first trip in May with their graduate students!

Sarah has also agreed to help us with fundraising and marketing and to be another founding member of the board of the White Rainbow Project!

Then there is the unbelievable connection of how Suzanne came on board to help us. Believe it or not, a few weeks ago, Suzanne actually saw a real white rainbow in the sky when she was hiking on Point Dume in Malibu. She was on her way to a prayer meeting. She felt like it was some kind of sign from God. She had been praying on how she could help abused women. When she got home, she googled "White Rainbow" and you guessed it- up came my film, White Rainbow. She had already seen the movie Water which also depicts the deplorable fate that many Indian widows face, so when she read about White Rainbow she knew that she must get involved with helping Indian widows. She ordered the film from my website, and since I was out of DVDs, I called her to let her know that it would take a few more days before I could send her a copy. I just happened to ask her how she heard about White Rainbow- when she told me her story of seeing the white rainbow in the sky, and how her gift and passion is to help abused women, I could not believe what I was hearing. I had just been praying that day for a way that we could make the widows feel special, and here was the answer to that prayer- Suzanne has a ministry called "The Spiritual Spa" the main focus is how to make abused women feel loved!

I quickly told Suzanne about the White Rainbow Project and she said that she was ready to help!

She along with Jon, is coming with me in February on an exploratory trip to Vrindavan, so that we can set up the service trips. We need to find out how we can be of the most help to these women.

The journey is just begining!!!!

The White Rainbow Project is Born!

2009-11-08T22:23:00.000-08:00

White Rainbow Project

The holy city of Vrindavan India, also known as the “City of Widows” harbors nearly 20,000 widows who flock there or are abandoned on the streets all in the hopes of finding “Moksha” – Salvation. In Indian society widows are stigmatized and maligned.

The White Rainbow Project (WRP) is a US faith based non-profit organization dedicated to caring for the widows of Vrindavan, and to allow Americans the opportunity to grow and mature spiritually by helping the poor and downtrodden in tangible ways through service trips, fundraising and widow sponsorship.

Using the feature film “White Rainbow” as a tool to educate, motivate and inspire others to get involved and help, the WRP plans to host screenings at universities, college campuses, churches, women’s groups and humanitarian group meetings. These events we will promote the service trips, raise funds for ongoing projects and sign up people to become sponsors.

The WRP is partnering with the Guild of Service a non-governmental organization based out of New Delhi India. The protagonist in the film “White Rainbow” is based on the work of the Guild’s founder, Dr. Mohini Giri. The Guild has already established a widow’s shelter in Vrindavan India which has room to house 500 widows. The Guild is active in rehabilitating the widows, giving them hope, and a safe place to live. They are training some for careers in nursing and have recently partnered with The Miracle Foundation to train widows to be certified caregivers in orphanages.

The 10 day service trips will be a journey that will be both educational and life changing. The participants are expected to learn about India, Hinduism and the stigma surrounding widowhood. They are expected to reach out to friends for support so as to get many others involved in their journey. Through their trip many others will come to know about the plight of the widows. The activities on the trip range from visiting the Taj Mahal to ministering to widows by cleaning, cooking and entertaining them. Showing them that someone cares, to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Other fundraising activities will include finding donors that will provide ongoing sponsorship for the care and maintenance of the widows and for providing funds for educational opportunities. The WRP also plans to host medical clinics and food and clothing distribution for the thousands of widows that are living on the streets of Vrindavan. It is our desire that the city of Vrindavan will be forever changed for the better and that it will no longer be a place of servitude and bondage for these women!

Making White Rainbow

2009-08-13T04:48:00.000-07:00

After reading about the plight of the widows of Vrindavan in Homeless Bird and then learning more of the facts after reading numerous news articles, We were convinced that more people needed to know about these women who were living in the shadows -and who by no fault of their own - were shunned from society and deemed worthless. My husband, Dharan, grew up in the South Indian film industry. His uncle, Sivaji Ganesan, was one of India's greatest film icons, starring in over 300 films during his illustrious career. Having already produced several Indian films and also directing our first collaboration, Ele, My Friend, Dharan was convinced that this story needed to be told using the powerful medium of film. We hoped this would bring the attention these women deserved, as more and more people would come to know about the "City of Widows".

Using stories gleaned from interviews that the Guild of Service had conducted from over 4000 widows, common patterns began to emerge, Dharan used the common themes to create four characters. Pryia, the central character, was loosely based on Mohini Giri's own story of empowering the widows and giving them hope. Roop was based on the numerous other widows who had been thrown out by their families. Mala was based on several women who pretend to be widows so that they can escape abusive husbands and in-laws, and young Deepti was based on the collective stories of young widows who were lured to Vrindavan on false pretenses and then used as prostitutes.
Writing the screenplay was the first step on our long journey... I will fill in the details in future posts - but for now I just want to focus on ways to make a tangible difference for these women. I want to use this film which was a passion project, to kindle a passion in others, to make a difference. I feel that God is calling me to use my life experience to show His love and compassion for these unfortunate women. If you feel it - then join with me and encourage others to get involved so that positive changes can be made! My good friend, whose husband organizes medical trips to Haiti, encouraged me to start service trips to Vrindavan after she watched White Rainbow. I'm going to take her up on her challenge. Besides starting my own trips - I want to highlight and raise funds for other groups that are already doing so much for the poor and downtrodden of the world. The ones that are unjustly treated. Please email me or comment on this blog if you know of groups that I can promote.

The Guild of Service-Helping Widows others have Forgotten

2009-08-03T04:06:00.000-07:00

While doing our reasearch on the plight of the widows of Vrindavan, one organization stood out as a beacon of hope for these helpless and shunned widows-The Guild of Service-Started by one woman, a widow herself, Dr. Mohini Giri . Losing her husband when she was 50, Dr. Giri endured the social humiliation that comes with being a widow. At times, she was asked not to attend weddings because her presence was considered bad luck. "Generally all widows are ostracized," she says. "An educated woman may have money and independence, but even that is snatched away when she becomes a widow. We live in a patriarchal society. Men say that culturally as a widow you cannot do anything: You cannot grow your hair, you should not look beautiful." She adds, "It's the mind-set of society we need to change -- not the women."
The Guild of Service first set up a refuge called Amar Bari, or "My Home," in Vrindavan. It became a refuge for about 120 of India's widows. They have just recently opened a second home Ma-Dham, a home for both young and old widows in Vrindavan. It has a capacity for 500 women. A small hospital is available on the premises, as well as a center for practical medical/nursing training and education. The older women who live here find a safe refuge with a healthy environment, and dignity of human life. They are taught some basic cottage industry skills to keep their hands and feet moving. The younger women are taught valuable skills for earning so that they can take control of their lives. These skills range from nurses' training, to improving computer skills, to training in embroidery skills, etc. The Guild of Service is making great strides in helping these women, but much more still needs to be done. As Dr. Giri states "mine is but a drop in the bucket."
My goal is to work with the Guild of Service to raise needed funds and to start Service Trips so that people from all over the world can get involved and help these forgotten women. Please contact me if you want to learn how you can get involved!

Reading Homeless Bird Started This Journey...

2009-07-23T02:33:00.000-07:00

In 2003 my son Shan, who was in sixth grade at the time, brought home his reading assignment- the book "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan. I was curious about the book because I noticed that it took place in India. I started to read it with him and my other children in the evenings. The story captivated me and I couldn't put it down. It told the story of a 13 year old girl who was forced to marry and then suddenly widowed and dumped by her in-laws in the holy city of Vrindavan...aka "The City of Widows". I was shocked. How could people be so callous. Just because the young girl was a widow she was considered to have no value. The story took place in modern day India, not in the past... when you may expect these kinds of injustices to occur. I wanted to find out if this could really be true, if this kind of thing really happened. I asked Dharan, my husband, who was born and raised in India. He said that he knew that there were many stigmas attached to widowhood, but he did not know about the brutal treatment described in the story. We decided to do a quick check on the Internet. We typed in VRINDAVAN. Up came glorious stories about the thousands of temples. We narrowed our search to WIDOWS OF VRINDAVAN. Then we saw hundreds of articles about the the thousands of widows that are abandoned on the streets of Vrindavan every year. Reading through the articles and news reports made us determined that something should be done. These women were suffering silently. We were certain that if people knew about their plight, then positive change would take place and these cruel practices really would be a thing of the past!

The Hole in Our Gospel a Powerful Book

2009-07-20T00:23:00.000-07:00

Recently I went to hear a motivational speaker at my church. By a chance meeting in the restroom, I had the opportunity to tell her about my film "White Rainbow". She gave me a copy of the book she was promoting called "A Hole in the Gospel" by Richard Stearns, the president of the Christian humanitarian organization- World Vision. I finally found the time to read it on my trip here in India. Boy is it powerful! It is a call to action for all believers to take the words of Christ seriously. If we really love God we need to help the poor. "The highest and and best ways of expressing our love for God is by demonstrating His love tangibly to those around us. We achieve this by showing compassion to the most vulnerable of God's children and fighting for justice. "...."Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this : to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27) He explains further " The message puts it this way:"Anyone who sets himself up as 'religious' by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless int their plight, and guard against corruption for the godless world" God wants to see the authenticity of our faith put into action, not the emptiness of a faith without deeds." pg 185 "The Hole in Our Gospel"
Reading this book has encouraged me to continue in my fight to get the message out about the unfair and unjust treatment that many widows in India face.

2009-07-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

This blog is dedicated to improving the lives of widows and orphans in India. I made a feature film titled "White Rainbow" that exposes the stigma that many Indian women face when they become widowed. I would like to use the film as a tool to help educate, motivate and inspire others to stand up and make a difference. I would like to work with others who share my passion by starting service trips to work with the widows of Vrindavan-which is known as the "City of Widows". I would also like to help raise funds for other groups and organizations that are already working to make a difference for widows and orphans. Please join with me by forwarding this blog to as many people as possible!
Thanks!