No amount of hardships can falter these former Devadasis

I reached Balwad at around 2pm that day to meet members of Basaveshwara Mahila Sangh. Among others, I was planning to meet a group of women who availed a loan of Rs. 35000 to expand their own micro-enterprises. Two members, Ratnavva and Gangavva, hail from the village of Balwad, while the third member, Radha, is from a village called Sankonatti. Balwad and Sankonatti are tiny villages in the Belgaum district of Karnataka.

As soon as I reached Balwad, I was received by a group of women. All of them had assembled in a small temple, after finishing their labor work in the fields. They all were evidently drained out of energy. For a moment, I imagined myself in that situation and reflected- nothing in the world could have convinced me enough to put myself through an SHG meeting, after a physically taxing day under the hot sun. Once again, I was reminded of their discipline and immense will power.      

I began to talk to the leader of the group, Ratnavva. Today, this former Devadasi is an accomplished single mother. Through her hard-work and passion, she managed enough strength to raise her child single-handedly. At an age of 59, Ratnavva is only finding means to increase her work and responsibilities. She works as an agricultural laborer and runs a buffalo farming enterprise. Recently, she expanded her enterprise by buying a buffalo, after securing a loan of Rs. 20000. She has to wait for a few more months before she can earn profits by selling buffalo milk. She expects the buffalo to provide 3-4 litres of milk. Ratnavva hopes to earn close to Rs. 600 per week. "I have 3 grand-kids, and all the extra income that I will be earning will go into shaping their future", Ratnavva tells me. 
 
The other woman from the group whom I had an opportunity to meet was Gangavva.  I learnt that she was running a mild fever that day, and yet chose to not miss out on her work. She had just returned from working for 5 hours in a field, and I did not want to keep her engaged for long. Through a quick conversation, I understood that Gangavva, who availed a loan of Rs. 10000, bought a cow for Rs. 13000. After two months, she will be earning an income of at least Rs. 2000 per month. With the help of this extra income, this former Devadasi can increase her contribution to the family income. 

Within half hour, through two quick conversations, I witnessed the impact that a micro-loan of Rs. 35000 had created- some of this impact clearly evident and some silent. This small loan has facilitated a change, a change that will continue to take its course in bettering their lives.