Life After the Spotlight: The Forgotten Elders of Rajasthan's Nat Community

In the heart of rural Rajasthan, a group of elderly women from the Nat community face a harsh reality after years of work. These women, once the main breadwinners, now find themselves alone and struggling.

A History of Discrimination

They were part of a community that has faced discrimination for generations. A law from the 1800s, the Criminal Tribes Act, labeled them as outcasts. This label stuck, making life hard for them and their families.

The Struggle of Retirement

Today, these women are retired from sex work, a profession they took up due to limited options. They are now in their golden years, but their lives are far from golden. Most of them have no family to support them. Their community and the institutions that should help them have turned their backs. They survive by begging during festivals, a meager income that barely covers their needs.

Health and Survival

Their health is failing, and they have no safety net. This is a stark contrast to their younger days when they were the ones providing for their families. The study that interviewed these women used a method called thematic analysis. It found that their current situation is a result of being labeled and marginalized for so long.

Understanding Their Plight

The study also looked at different theories to understand their struggles. These include:

• Disengagement theory
• Labeling theory
• Active aging
• Intersectionality

Each theory offers a different lens to view their struggles. The findings highlight a pressing need for policies that include and understand these women. These policies must be culturally sensitive and responsive to their unique needs.

A Call to Action

It's a tough life, but these women are not giving up. They continue to find ways to survive, even when the world seems to have forgotten them. Their story is a reminder that aging is not easy for everyone. It's a call to action for society to do better by those who have given so much.