Badan Kanwar & Dev Kumari Women's Resilience Fund

My mother Smt. Badan Kanwar Ji and my grandmother Smt. Dev Kumari Ji were women of quiet courage.

My mother passed away on 20 February 2026. In remembering her life, I am also reminded of the strength of my grandmother Smt. Dev Kumari Ji, who shaped our family in many ways.

They lived in a time when opportunities for women were very limited. My mother studied for a few years at Purdha School, but my grandmother never had the chance to receive formal education. Even though they belonged to a respected family, the reality of patriarchal hardship was part of everyday life.

Still, they never complained and never gave up. They worked hard, raised their families with dignity and stood beside the men of our family through every challenge. They were kind, generous and humble, and in many ways true warriors of their time.

In the early 1990s, my mother became a widow. Like many widows in Rajasthan, her world suddenly changed. Widows often lose not only their husbands but also their sense of status, voice and belonging in society. As her son, I witnessed this reality closely.

Years later, this experience stayed with me and became one of the inspirations behind starting Sambhali Trust in Jodhpur. What began with inviting two girls to learn soon grew into something much larger. Today, Sambhali Trust has worked with nearly 80,000 women, children and members of the gender minority community across Rajasthan.

My mother later became one of the founding trustees of Sambhali Trust, and my grandmother remained my biggest admirer and supporter in the work I chose to do for women.

In the last years of their lives, both of them struggled with illness. Watching their health challenges reminded us how important it is for women—especially widows—to have access not only to livelihood opportunities but also to basic healthcare and support.

In their loving memory, we are creating the Badan Kanwar & Dev Kumari Women’s Resilience Fund.

This small fund will support widows in Rajasthan who are trying to rebuild their lives after losing their husbands.

Through this fund we hope to provide small but meaningful support so that widows can rebuild their lives with dignity and independence.

The fund will support:

• education and skill development
• livelihood opportunities
• basic health support including diabetes and heart health awareness

Our goal is to raise $20,000 (approximately ₹17 lakh) through this Milaap fundraiser.

The fund will be administered through Sambhali Trust in Jodhpur, which is accredited by the United Nations ECOSOC.

This initiative is our family’s small way of honouring two women who lived with strength, humility and compassion.

Sometimes grief can also become a quiet motivation to continue serving others. Through this small effort, we hope to carry forward the spirit with which they lived their lives.

Those who wish to remember Badan Kanwar Ji and Dev Kumari Ji are warmly invited to support this effort.

With gratitude,
Govind Singh Rathore
Founder, Sambhali Trust

This fundraiser will benefit Widows supported through Sambhali Trust
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