Wedded to a cause

Ashvini Jojra, a resident of RS Pura, has arranged 880 marriages of girls living below the poverty line. The founder-president of charitable organisation Sehyog is working for the welfare of differently abled children, the aged, as well as widows, writes Ashutosh Sharma from Jammu

Certain incidents leave a deep impact on our lives. But in certain cases the impression is lasting on the psyche. One incident in the life of an aspiring civil servant changed his entire orientation. Ashvini Jojra, a resident of RS Pura, 35 km from Jammu city, relates the incident that took place when he was studying in Aligarh.

The daughter of a poor widow—who was working as a domestic help at a home in Sidpur—was raped by the employer. The incident hogged newspaper headlines, and it influenced him to the extent that he decided to make " helping the hapless’’ a lifelong mission.

Until now, this matchmaker has successfully arranged nearly 880 marriages of girls living below the poverty line. Apart from this, he is tirelessly working for the welfare of differently abled children, the aged and the infirm as well as widows.

This has earned him great repute in the area. Wherever he goes, people greet him with folded hands. Recipient of several awards, Jojra says that the entire social work is going on under the canopy of Serving All Humanity Yearningly Over the Globe (Sehyog, India), of which he is the founder-president. He credits his father, Lala Dolat Ram Satowallia—a social worker—for instilling such values in him during early childhood. Also, he describes his mother, Karamati, as the architect of the 23-year-old organisation.

The antecedents of the groom are thoroughly examined through volunteers spread in many places, and the girls are also counselled. Elders in villages are taken into confidence. After screening the prospective groom, the organisation makes sure that he will take care of her, says Jojra, adding: "All the couples are living happily, and we have not received even a single complaint of domestic violence or a failed marriage so far.’’ According to him, the marriage expenditure is arranged through contributions, and the requisite goods are often arranged on credit.

Jojra, who is working in the Agriculture Department, spends a major portion of his salary on social work, while his wife, Vandana, according to him, sold her jewellery to arrange the marriages.

An offshoot of Sehyog, the Prerna Institute of Rehabilitation and Research has been working for the welfare of the mentally challenged, the deaf and dumb, blind people, orphans, the poor and the needy. The project office is also educating as many as 78 disabled children, besides creating awareness on AIDS in the area.

Other projects undertaken by the organisation include free cataract screening campaigns and providing medical facilities to issueless old people suffering from ailments.

"I am deeply involved in my work, which I started way back in 1980. Even if I wish to leave it, I cannot step back,’’ says Jojra, who plans to establish north India’s biggest rehabilitation centre for special children in the area. "If the philosophy of rebirth is true, then I don’t want moksha. Rather, I would like to be born again so that I could serve people,’’ adds Jojra.

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