On October 5, 2025, Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, in collaboration with The Loomba Foundation, hosted Prosperity for Widows — a landmark initiative celebrating the transformation of 2,000 widows and youth across Bihar through skill training and livelihood opportunities that empower them to lead self-reliant lives.
The ceremony was graced by His Excellency Arif Mohammed Khan, Hon’ble Governor of Bihar; Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha); and Ms. Kanta Singh, Deputy Country Representative, UN Women India.
After the lamp-lighting ceremony, Ms. Nitya Pathak, Executive Convener, Sulabh International, invoked the spirit of Shakti — the strength that sustains creation.
“Without her strength, Sulabh could not have become what it is today,” she said, acknowledging the countless women whose courage forms the foundation of Sulabh’s journey.
Her words set the tone for an event filled with compassion and conviction — an ode to the spirit of empowerment that has long guided Sulabh’s social mission.
Lord Raj Loomba, Founder of The Loomba Foundation, reflected on how empowerment ripples beyond individuals to families and entire communities.
“Two thousand lives transformed means two thousand families given hope,” he said, reaffirming that prosperity for widows is prosperity for society itself.
Many beneficiaries also shared moving accounts of their journeys — stories of adversity met with opportunity, and of hardship transformed into independence through training in skills such as computer literacy, tailoring, food processing, handicraft, data entry operation and so on.
Taking the podium, Ms. Kanta Singh of UN Women India urged the audience to view empowerment not as charity but as justice. She emphasized the importance of widows’ rights to property, education, and leadership, stressing that no society can claim progress if it leaves its women behind.
Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad lauded Sulabh International’s global contribution to sanitation and human dignity. He also announced his personal commitment to support the induction of widows and their children into the armed forces, police services, and digital skilling centres — a bold and visionary step toward inclusive growth.
In his keynote address, His Excellency Arif Mohammed Khan spoke from the heart, invoking India’s timeless message of spiritual unity and social harmony:
“The divine, the supreme soul, and the individual soul — what resides in you, resides in me. India’s greatest message to the world is oneness — Ekātmata. If we truly understand it, there will be no hatred, no violence.”
He also paid tribute to Dr Bindeshwar Pathak’s extraordinary legacy and lauded Dr Kumar Dilip and the Pathak family for carrying forward Sulabh’s mission with conviction and compassion.
As the national anthem echoed through the hall, there was a shared sense that something profound had transpired. This was not merely the culmination of a project, but the continuation of a movement — one rooted in equality, self-reliance, and dignity for every woman.
