Ravi Nitesh
Mohini Giri departed this world on December 19, 2023. Tributes poured in from all those who knew her. A large number of people from different walks of life expressed their condolences through physical presence and messages. Mohini Giri, an eighty-five-year-old luminary, passionately worked for society until her last breath. She was an eminent social worker and the daughter-in-law of former President of India V V Giri
At a time when wars and conflicts dominate the world, it’s crucial to note that after the India-Pakistan war in 1971, Mohini started visiting hospitals to meet soldiers and their families. She observed that widows of martyrs faced numerous challenges, including dignity, livelihood, shelter, and support for their children. Mohini briefed these findings to Indira Gandhi, leading to the government’s support for widows of armed forces martyrs through free education for children, allotment of plots, and gas agencies.
Later, Mohini Giri established the War Widows Association to provide a healing touch to widows of martyrs, going beyond what the army or government were doing for them. Renowned for her courageous visits to various places in protection of women’s rights during her tenure in the National Women Commission as a chairperson, she worked extensively to provide autonomy to commissions.
I met Mohini ji around the year 2017, and since then, she has been supportive of Aaghaz-e-Dosti through her participation and inspiring messages. Fond of music, arts, social work, and reading, Mohini embodied the qualities that make a person an enlightened human being. When organizing a peace march, she offered her Guild of Service office space for Aaghaz-e-Dosti Delhi to the Wagah Peace yatra inaugural program.
Amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, Mohini Giri, along with Nirmala Deshpande and Syeda Hameed, founded the Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia. They led a bus full of 40 women social workers to Pakistan, welcomed by hundreds of women activists in Lahore holding candles. This gesture was reciprocated by a bus full of around 64 Pakistani women activists to India, led by Asma Jahangir, welcomed by hundreds of Indian women holding flowers.
Mohini Giri established Maa Dham in Vrindavan for widows, traveling there despite her age, inviting them to Delhi for many programs, and bringing happiness to their lives. She remained active in all causes of peace building and human rights from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, establishing Rahat Ghar in Jammu and Kashmir to support children who lost their parents in militancy.
For her efforts, she was recognized with India’s third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan, in 2007. However, her true recognition lies in placing herself in the hearts of thousands and touching numerous lives. A recent film by Meera Dewan titled ‘Still We Rise: The Passion and Compassion of Mohini Giri’ showcased the fifty-year journey of the Guild of Service, highlighting initiatives for widows of Kargil War martyrs and the families of those who went missing during the Kashmir insurgency. Meera Dewan expressed that the film attempts to reflect a positive interpretation and transformation of stereotypical terminologies into action. Mohini’s broad vision encompasses the rich contribution of every faith to the cause of universal peace.
Her last rites were conducted at Delhi’s Lodhi Road crematorium on December 21, 2023. Many attended, not knowing each other but united in their connection with Mohini Giri.
We pay tribute to this great social worker, and her departure from this physical world will only be remembered through the celebration of her ideas and actions that will endure in society and in the hearts of people.
*Ravi Nitesh is a freelance writer and founder of Aaghaz-e-Dosti Peace Initiative. He tweets at @ravinitesh*
