Two former Devadasis are turning their lives around by working hard

Pulabai Kamble and Gangavva Madar, along with Kashibai Madar, had availed a micro-loan of Rs. 60000 to expand their micro-enterprises. Pulabai and Gangavva come from a small village called Balwad. Kashibai, who is the leader of the group, is a resident of Katral. Balwad and Katral are villages in the Belgaum district separated by a distance of 30 kms.
 
An SHG meeting was scheduled on 6th of May in Balwad, and I had an opportunity to meet both Pulabai and Gangavva at one place. However, I could not arrange a meeting with the leader of the group, Kashibai. After a 90 minutes bus ride, I reached Balwad. All the women were gathered in a small temple for a monthly SHG meeting. After greeting all of them, I secured a place on the floor next to them. I began talking to Pulabai to understand her work and how the micro-loan has helped her scale up her business. Pulabai is a part of a big family consisting of 10 people. Her two sons and two daughter-in-laws, like Pulabai, work as daily-wage laborers. The minimal wages of the order of Rs. 200 per day do not do a satisfactory job in meeting the family's expenses. Pulabai had to take up additional responsibilities to support the family. She ventured into buffalo farming, and has ever since contributed to a large portion of the family income. A loan of Rs. 20000 helped her invest in a new buffalo and further expand her business. The additional income of Rs. 2000 every month is allowing her to save for her grand childrens' education. She has big plans for them- she wants all of them to be able to go to college and to secure good jobs. The loan has helped her to take a first step towards materializing this dream.
 
Gangavva Madar, the woman whom I met next, had availed a loan of Rs. 20000 to expand her small grocery store. She works as a cook in a primary school in her village from 10am to 3pm to earn a monthly wage of Rs. 2000. Apart from this, with the support of her husband, Gangavva runs a small grocery store. Her husband looks after the store when she is away for her cooking job. She is also into buffalo farming- she currently rears two cows and earns a decent income by selling cow milk. Gangavva is dividing her time between household work and 3 jobs. Her two daughters, Danamma and Uma Shree, and her son, Nagaraj, are pursuing their education. With educational expenses close to Rs. 1200 per month- and expenses only bound to increase in the future- Danamma is doing everything in her capacity to save enough money to fund their education. The loan has helped her invest in her shop and buy groceries in bulk. Her profits have increased ever since. Pulabai and Gangavva, two former Devadasis, are marching towards a better future by working hard. A micro-loan has given them each an opportunity to direct their efforts towards their plausible goals.