Barred by villagers to cook mid-day meals, widow resumes job

A government school in Gopalganj, Bihar banned a woman Sunita Kuwar, from cooking food for midday meals at the same school, just because she is a widow and they believe eating food cooked by her will bring them bad luck.

A widow, who was barred by villagers from cooking midday meals for students at a government school in Bihar’s Gopalgunj district, was reinstated to her job with help from the district authorities on Friday. The woman, Sunita Kanwar, started facing problems when the local villagers questioned her character and raised objections against her cooking, as they felt that her cooking for children was a bad omen.

District magistrate Rahul Kumar, who visited the village today, told the villagers that the administration would lodge FIRs against those spreading rumours.

The school had to remove her in the wake of protests by the residents. When the Panchayat head talked to the then principal, Pushpa Kumari, the latter expressed helplessness due to mounting pressure by the villagers. “I am fighting my battle alone and running from one office to another to get justice for the past 21 months”, Sunita told The Telegraph. “But the situation has changed and she was removed”. But how? All thanks to Gopalganj District Magistrate Rahul Kumar.

Commendation is pouring in from across the country and overseas for Rahul Kumar and his unique solution to counter the blind beliefs evident in Gopalganj – sentiments which are echoed in many villages in the interiors of India as well.