A connection with one’s ancestral land is a bond carved in stone. When philanthropic activities started at Kalandri, it was evident that there was a section of society so underprivileged that many of them didn’t even exist on paper. A survey was conducted and 35 families were identified who were in desperate need of assistance. They receive a monthly grocery bag to take care of their sustenance. This the Kalandri Foundation will provide for the rest of their lives.
Grocery Bag
15 kgs Wheat Flour
2 kgs Rice
1 kg Lentils
1 kg Salt
1 kg Jaggery
100g Red Chilli Powder
100g Turmeric powder
100g Coriander powder
1 Litre Mustard Oil
Life deals a set of cards to everyone. The best one can do is play the most efficient game. Then there are those least favoured by destiny. Their lives so challenged that it can bring a tear to the most hardened soul. This is a short film based on the lives of 35 families and the rehabilitation efforts by Kalandri Foundation to bring them dignity.
Aired on Sony LIV US on 18th December 2021
Ajaram Bhil
Ajaram Bhil (60 yrs) has been married for 40 years. They are a childless couple. He and his wife keep watch on a farm for which he gets a meager sum of Rs.1500 per month. They have to manage their monthly expenses from this income. With no property ownership in the village or help from the government they live under a tarpaulin sheet. Due to severe poverty and lack of basic infrastructure like a pucca house, water, electricity or access to nutritious food their health suffers tremendously. 5% of the rural population in India live under these conditions.
Asli Devi
Asli Devi must be around 60 or 65 years old. She is the widow of Meghaji and a resident of Kalandri. Her only son threw her out of the house after he got married. She now lives in a corner outside his house. Being illiterate and old she is unable to find any work. The government pays Asli Devi Rs.750 per month for her sustenance.
Ganga Devi
Ganga Devi aged 70 is the wife of Hanjarimal who died 40 years ago. She has only one daughter who is married. Ganga Devi is unwell and not able to walk. She does have helpful neighbors and the government given her Rs.. 1000 per month. However she does not have basic facilities for keeping body and soul together. She lives alone in a kuccha house.
Kamala Devi
Kamala Devi, 51 is the widow is Khetaram. She has one son who is unable to speak and has largely been sick his whole life. He is therefore unable to work. Kamala Devi receives Rs.500 – Rs.750 per month from the governement for the welfare of her disabled son.
Majudevi
25 year old Majudevi was widowed in 2020 at a very young age when her husband Amratlal succumbed to cancer in 2020. It’s a struggle for this young lady to make ends meet without a provider and the added responsibility of her 18 month old child. In addition she needs to pay back the loan taken for the treatment of her husband’s cancer. With no support from the government or any other agency she is in dire straits.
Hanja Devi
Hanja Devi is 60 years old and was widowed 15 years ago in 2005. She has no children and lives alone in a diaplated hut. The government gives her a meagre aid of Rs.750 per month. With no other access to finances she lives in abject poverty.
Gokalram
Gokalram, 60 lives with his disabled wife, who receives Rs.500 per month from the government. They have no children and live in a kuccha room. In summer months Gokalram takes the cattle of other people for grazing and earns Rs.3000 per month. In other seasons he doesn’t have any other work.
Laxman Ram
Laxman Ram is 65 years old. Both he and his wife are illiterate. They don’t have any children. Due to severe poverty they live on the banks of the river in a makeshift hut. Laxman Ram’s wife receives Rs. 500 per month from the government. Husband and wife roams the village looking for garbage dumps to collects waste paper and plastic which brings them Rs. 1500 per month. The only other asset they own is a cycle
Sita Devi
Sita Devi is married to Kaluram Rebari who is 40 and uneducated. The family consists of husband-wife, grandmother, 2 small children aged under 3. Kaluram used to work in the Jain Dharamshala but due to ill health he is unable to carry out his duties. Sita Devi works as a labourer earning Rs. 4000 – 5000 per month and feeds the whole family. They don’t recieve any support from the government. They live in a semi-permanent house.
Ameeya Devi
Ameeya Devi, 45, is a mother of four children who has been left alone since her divorce. She had no choice but to return to her ailing and elderly father for shelter. She receives Rs.500 from the government and works as a labourer for Rs. 1500 per month.
Raju Bhai
Raju Bhai is 54 year old resident of Kalandari. He is not literate. He and his wife are extremely poor and childless. They do not have any other external support. Sometimes their neighbours help them out. Their mode of transport is a bicycle. They make their livelihood by working as daily wage labourers earning Rs. 3000 each per month. They don’t receive any help or assistance from the government.
Kantilal
55-year-old Kantilal is a resident of Kalandari. He has been educated till class 5. His family consists of his wife and three small children who attend a public school. Working as labourers they earn around 3000/- rupees per month. There aren’t enough jobs in rural areas, and the government isn’t doing enough to help them. In fact, they are struggling to meet basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and education. They live in a hut that is in a deplorable state. Their situation is quite sad.
Jyoti Devi
Jyoti Devi is the widow of the late Jhalaram Sagara. She is 60, illiterate, and has 3 small children. They are a very poor family living in a dilapidated hut. They do not have access to basic necessities like food and shelter, therefore are prone to disease. They are so emaciated that they are unable to carry out any strenuous work to make a living.
Jyoti Devi earns around Rs 600/- Rs 800/- per month by mopping floors and cleaning houses. She dreams of providing a good education to her children. Their condition is truly heartbreaking.
Shankar Lal
Shankar Lal, 50 has a wife and young daughter girl child. Shankar Lal ji is blind and handicapped so is his wife. In spite of her disability she is the main bread winner of the family. Their monthly income ranges from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 2500 of which Rs.1500 is given by the government. They live as tenants with his brother. Their financial situation is severe.