By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,

Patna (Bihar): The place I have entered now is in the heart of a densely populated Muslim area which houses believers of other faiths also. You won't be impressed by the hygienic quotient or the lack of it in the area. But what impresses one and all is the devotion of a middle-aged local Muslim lady to social work.

I was there to meet Mahjabeen Sarwar who runs an NGO called SAFEENAH, an acronym for the “Society for Awareness, Family Welfare, Education, Economic Upliftment, Nationality & Health.”

I am at a place called Mewa Saow Halwai Lane, Mewa Saow being the sweet shop used as the landmark in the locality which is three kilometers from the Gandhi Maidan.

I stepped into the house where I met Nahid Perween, Geeta Devi, Salma, and many others like them who were there to meet Mahjabeen Sarwar.

It was all one room (a big though) used as a house, office and also a centre of SAFEENAH. And there were many girls like Nahid Perween who can easily be distinguished as ones from the poor background.

They were there to seek Sarwar’s help. They wanted to apply for admission in “HUNAR,” a government sponsored scheme for Muslim girls under which they are trained in vocational courses within a distance of half kilometers from their homes.

Geeeta Devi wanted to complain that the ration shop of her area was not giving her rice, wheat and sugar, which she is entitled to receive as the Below Poverty Line card holder. She suspected that the shopkeeper sells the subsidized goods in the open market.

“It is all a daily routine for me” said Mahjabeen Sarwar, a middle aged woman whose enthusiasm and courage was quite apparent from her way of speaking. All the women from underprivileged sections, be they Hindu or Muslim, come to “Behan Mahjabeen” as they call her affectionately.

She was the first woman to be awarded the Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi, Stree Shakti Puraskar in November 2006, for her outstanding work in the area of women empowerment in the year 2002.

“We have been here since 1978 when there was the case of Shah Bano, and ever since working in the areas of empowerment of women, particularly of poor section.”

Her husband Ghulam Sarwar Azad, who was in the Communist Party of India till 2005 after which he left the party, too was there. When I asked about the connection with Shah Bano case he said: “We established SAFEENAH in order to protest against the spirit of injustice which was there in the Shah Bano case. We felt that there is an urgent need to empower Muslim women.”

She pointed out that SAFEENAH works in many areas, prominent among them is creating awareness in the poor masses about the government schemes sanctioned for them in different spheres like the family welfare scheme, maternity scheme, Janashree Bima Yojna (insurance scheme) and Anna Purna Yojna (food distribution at subsidized cost for poor people).

The organization works in the areas of health care, education, family welfare and many other areas which affect the lives of poor and marginalized. With the help of volunteers, it runs 32 education centers.

As far as BPL Card is concerned, they helped thousands of families to have their BPL card made.

It also prevents the street children from being a part of the child labor industry. SAFEENAH organizes awareness camps and “Nukkad Nataks” for the purpose, informed the former comrade Mr. Azad.

Apart from that they help the old disabled and handicapped people get the government pension, distribute “Kambals” among the poor in winter, run education centers for aged women, handicapped and disabled.

Mahjaben Sarwar interrupted and pointed out that many women come to them with their family and marriage and divorce related disputes. In cases of divorce she first tries to bring about the situation of compromise but if it seems impossible then she refers it to the concerned courts.

I asked them if there is anything special that they are doing these days. But before they could have replied the mobile rang in the middle of our discussion.

Mr.Azad informed me that it was a call from Idara Shariah, a socio-religious body of a section of Muslims in Patna.

The state government has made the Imarat Shariah, Idara Shariah and Mungar based Rahmani Foundation the nodal agencies to conduct the vocational courses.

Mahjabeen Sarwar told me that these days they are very busy with the program of “Hunar”. Her organization is assisting Idara Shariah in creating awareness about it among Muslim girls, and getting them apply for the program.

Then she showed me a thick file containing all the applications.

But at the same time she regretted at the slow pace with which the state government is treating the scheme intentionally or unintentionally. Because three crore rupees sanctioned by the central government hasn’t yet been utilized, and again five crore rupees have been sanctioned.

I asked them whether they are satisfied with the kind of work the state government is doing for the minorities. They pointed out: “although we can’t be satisfied but the fact is that the Muslims themselves have to learn to fight for their demands.”

It is a harsh world and in which you don’t get your right without fighting for it, let alone asking, told Mr. Azad.

Asked about her focus area, Mahjabeen Sarwar said: “it is the area of illiteracy among Muslim women. We need to work a lot in this area.”

Because of the crowd in her room and the diversity among them I came to realize the quantum of work they have managed to deliver in spite of the scarcity of means.

Kashif, their son, a history graduate was telling me that they have only two rooms. Many a time there is so much of women coming to seek help that he has to go out for few hours to make room for them.

I asked any concern and problem that they face while helping people through SAFEENAH.

The problem is the corruption in the offices of the state. Sometimes it happens that the people who have applied for different schemes with their help don’t get anything because they have neither money to give the clerks as commission nor any approach there.

Ghulam Sarwar Azad pointed out that they are running it virtually without any fund. The government too hasn’t done anything about it. They don’t get projects and schemes because they have neither money to give the clerks as commission nor any approach there.

“It is not a big problem for us though as we have continued doing our work with determination. The only thing is that we could have expanded the organization, in order to reach out to other needy people, but only for the lack of means because lots of people in other parts of the state call us and ask for help.”

Notwithstanding all odds, the two put up a brave posture saying that it is only because of the determination and will power which have kept them going.