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of hope in despair
Laxmi
Singh, a resident of Sartha village in Orissa, had
nothing of her own other than a small mud hut by the
roadside. That too was an act of mercy by her neighbours,
who took pity on her and built the hut for her. The
sudden flood of 7 July 2007 washed away all her material
possessions and destroyed her house.
Laxmi, a middle-aged woman (could not tell her age),
lost her husband 25 years ago. Left alone with a daughter,
Laxmi managed to survive and finally got her married.
Now she is all alone in the world—her daughter
has not kept any contact with the mother after marriage.
She has no land, is too old and frail to do any manual
work and survives on the meagre amount she receives
as widow pension from the government. Rs 200 (USD
5) is not much, barely enough to keep body and soul
together, but by now Laxmi has adapted to her circumstances.
When
LWSI staff met her, she hardly spoke to them. All
her words were lost in despair. Other villagers surrounded
her while the staff were interacting. All the villagers
have been severely affected by the floods, still they
were advocating for Laxmi, requesting us to extend
support to her to reduce her suffering.
After
the house collapsed, Laxmi stayed on the road under
the open sky for several days till a Good Samaritan
came along. A corporate house with business interests
in the region provided her (and others) polythene
sheets. She has arranged her belongings, whatever
she managed to salvage from the rushing floodwaters,
under that makeshift shelter—the polythene strung
across some bamboo poles. There are no doors, no windows;
nor can she stand straight inside. She has to crawl
in and out by lifting a corner of the polythene.
Sartha Block has been allotted
to LWSI for relief distribution by the district authorities
quite late. Staff members are carrying out a survey.
Laxmi has been given a token to collect relief materials.
Her eyes sparkled with hope that she might also get
help for rebuilding her only abode of peace.
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