Yallavva Kamble and Sevanta Mang are former Devadasis living in Belgaum, Karnataka. They took a Milaap loan a few months ago to expand their cattle rearing business. Rearing cattle is very common occupation in these parts of Karnataka and during my visits, I have been meeting with a lot of Milaap borrowers who rear goat or sheep or have a cow or buffalo.Â
Yallavva, hailing from Nidagundi village, has put her loan to good use. She bought 2 goats with the loan amount and is expecting to earn profit by selling their kids once they grow up. Although the women barely have any education, they were very adept at basics involved with their business.
But when I met with Sevanta, I was astonished. She lives at her farm 3 kilometers away from the main village of Bhudihal in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. It was very hard to do an exact head count, but she owns around 30 goats including the 5 goats she recently bought using her loan. Villages where most people see this occupation only as a support business, Sevanta clearly has outdone all norms. She now has a good number of healthy livestock which not only provides her with a regular income, but also helps her in case of any emergencies.Â
I also got a chance to attend a loan repayment in Nidagundi as well as Bhudihal and both Yallavva and Sevanta were aware about their exact installments and the process went pretty smoothly.Â
Every human has a right to education, but Yallavva and Sevanta, like many other former Devadasis were denied this right. But they didn't let it stop them from striving for a better living. They learned from life and adapted those practical concepts to run a business of their own.
Yallavva, hailing from Nidagundi village, has put her loan to good use. She bought 2 goats with the loan amount and is expecting to earn profit by selling their kids once they grow up. Although the women barely have any education, they were very adept at basics involved with their business.
But when I met with Sevanta, I was astonished. She lives at her farm 3 kilometers away from the main village of Bhudihal in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. It was very hard to do an exact head count, but she owns around 30 goats including the 5 goats she recently bought using her loan. Villages where most people see this occupation only as a support business, Sevanta clearly has outdone all norms. She now has a good number of healthy livestock which not only provides her with a regular income, but also helps her in case of any emergencies.Â
I also got a chance to attend a loan repayment in Nidagundi as well as Bhudihal and both Yallavva and Sevanta were aware about their exact installments and the process went pretty smoothly.Â
Every human has a right to education, but Yallavva and Sevanta, like many other former Devadasis were denied this right. But they didn't let it stop them from striving for a better living. They learned from life and adapted those practical concepts to run a business of their own.
Sevanta playing with her children and goat
