Born in a village in Tamil Nadu, Sita was an enthusiastic girl in her childhood. Sita was her parent's first and the most favourite child among her siblings. Sita's family had to work tirelessly each day to fill their stomach. Her family condition did not allow her to attend school after her 4th grade. Her parents made sure of taking good care for her and the other kids with whatever money they had. Sita, understanding the pathetic condition of her family, chose to work rather sitting at home. She would do jobs at shops, houses and earn as much as she could.
Years passed by when Sita turned 18 and was prepared to get married with her family status being the same with not even a slightest improvement. Sita's fiancee belonged to a nearby village but was working in Chennai. Quite an educated fellow he was working for Indian railways. Her fiancee's family insisted on taking charge of all marriage works by themselves. Sita's family could not ask for more as the boy's family took good care of her even before marriage.
Sita's wedding is still an unforgettable event for her as she never expected such a thing to happen considering her family's condition. Post wedding the couple started off well. They had two kids, named Raju and Chandhran. They made a beautiful family and they could afford a decent life with her husband's earnings.
But all this came to a sudden stop when something really tragic happened, shattering Sita's life and her dreams. Sita's husband and her younger son Raju was hit in a tragic accident and died on spot. The accident happened in front of Sita and her elder son Chandhran. They were traumatized seeing this.
Sita's life turned miserable after that incident. She had a tough time rising her son. She felt her husband's presence even after his death and assured her elder son too that his father is still alive and is still with them. Chandhran could no longer continue in a mainstream school due to the effect the incident had on him.
He was then enrolled in D.K.'s learning centre, a centre for special education in East Tambaram, Chennai. Sita turned breadwinner. She was given a job in Indian railways after her husband's death. But considering her educational status she was given a job of sweeper. Being abused and turned down by her family members, she, as a widow, still lives an unsafe and an unpredictable life fighting all odds in the society.
Teachers at D.K.'s made Chandhran feel comfortable and gave time and support for him to cope. Sita was advised to visit the centre on regular basis and was counselled over and over. Teachers at D.K.'s oriented Sita on writing her 10th std exams that would promote her to office works in Railways. She was given necessary information on writing her 10 std exams via National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). NIOS is the Board of Education for Distance education, under the Union Government of India. Sita could see light at the end of the tunnel. She optimistically enrolled in NIOS for her 10th exams.
She now attends classes at D.K.'s whenever she gets permission from her workplace. D.K.'s has given her a flexible timetable motivating her to study.
To her luck the railway authorities have been behind her supporting her to attend her 10th std exams. They have done their job well by motivating their employee reach a better standard of living. She is very much optimistic and hopes to reach the light at the end of the tunnel and gives full credit to D.K.'s and her supporting authorities at railways.
This woman had inspired me with her perseverance. And it was a motivation for me to work hard personally since I had the chance of interacting with her when I was a part of the activities of D.K.’s for quite some time. I wish her all success in life.
- Sahana Dhanabalan,
(Student, Dept of Social Work,
Madras Christian College)
