These amazing photographs show the heartbreaking plight of India's widows, who are often ostracised from society after the death of their husbands.
Elderly women face living on their own or in decrepit ghetto areas, and are prevented from participating in religious festivals and other important communal events.
But a new charity initiative aims to re-integrate the widows into the community by providing them with a regular income and allowing them to mix with their neighbours.
Widow: An elderly woman living in an ashram in Varanasi looks out of her door; campaigners are trying to raise the status of women who have lost their husbands
Squalid: A widow rests on her bed in her cramped living quarters in Varanasi, where thousands of women flock to beg from passing pilgrims
Abandoned: A Nepalese woman who has been thrown out of her family home and now lives in the sacred site of Varanasi
The women pictured here are from the northern town of Varanasi, the holiest site for Hindus where millions travel on pilgrimage to bathe in the Ganges.
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Widows are often considered to be cursed, meaning they are thrown out by their families for fear of spreading their bad luck.
Many go to live in Varanasi or Vrindavan, another holy city, where they earn a living by begging and are paid pennies to recite prayers in Hindu temples.
Community: But the widows are ostracised from mainstream society and not allowed to take part in religious festivals
Sleeping rough: Many widows are unable to support themselves and rely on the goodwill of pilgrims for their basic needs
Devotion: A widow reads sacred texts in a room in an ashram decorated with images from Hindu mythology
Alone: India's widows are considered to be cursed after their husbands die and are often shunned by other members of the community
They are not normally allowed to bathe in the sacred river alongside pilgrims, and are banned from participating in celebrations such as Holi, the annual festival of colour.
Now Bindeshwar Pathak, chairman of charity Sulabh International, is spearheading a scheme to raise the status of widows.
He has invited 150 of them from Varanasi to start participating fully in the religious life of the city in an effort to end the stigma against them.
Despair: A widow fans herself in her small room; around three per cent of women are believed to be widows
Hard at work: An elderly woman cleans rice in front of her tiny home in Varanasi, considered the most sacred city in Hinduism
Laundry: A widow dries her clothes in the ashram where she lives, as other women look on in the background
Steep climb: An elderly widow mounts the stairs up to her room in the Varanasi ashram
The charity will also hand out an income of 2,000 rupees (£24) per month for each woman to ensure they can pay for basic needs such as food, clothing and healthcare.
Mr Pathak has also called on the country's parliament to pass a new law ensuring the widows' welfare by paying them a basic salary from state funds.
Around three per cent of Indian women are said to be widows, and more than half of them have no source of income.
Prayer: Many widows are too old to look after themselves independently but do not receive sufficient support from the Indian state
Help: Bindeshwar Pathak, right, is providing 150 widows with a monthly income of 2,000 rupees (£24) through his charity Sulabh International
Gathering: Dozens of widows attended a function organised by Sulabh International on the banks of the Ganges yesterday