RAGS TO RICHES… Atmaja Dani, XI A

RAGS TO RICHES…

Atmaja Dani, XI A

The Princess all decked up in gold and wearing an emerald lined gown walked down the staircase. Her prince charming was there to hold her hand and they eloped together in a horse chariot. This was just the beginning of their wonderful dream- filled life and they lived happily ever after….

This is the fairytale, which we have grown up hearing since our childhood. But alas, not every cloud has a sliver-lining, as can be seen from the life of our domestic help, Mrs. Laxmi Kudale, whose life was full of miseries and hardships that knew no end.

Daughter of a carpenter, Laxmi was born in a poverty stricken household. She had to let go off her dreams of schooling, playing and a secure family at a very young age. What followed was worse. She was married off at the age of nine and became a mother at the age of twelve. Her husband turned out to be a drunkard and Laxmi became his ATM. He thrashed her day in and out. She was thus, forced to start earning her livelihood as a domestic servant, a scavenger, a vegetable vendor and what not.

In the midst of all this, Laxmi got an opportunity to work as a domestic servant in Dubai. She literally dumped her kids with her mother-in-law and seized the opportunity. In Dubai, she was forced to do the domestic chores from dawn to dusk.

She was paid meagerly and forced to run errands in the scorching heat.  Not the one to let go off easily, Laxmi pulled on with the hardships for almost a decade and more. She had saved a handsome amount by then. With the help of some localites, she managed to return to India and be with her kids who were now in their teens.   She soon bought a two room hut near Warje, in Pune and started a new chapter once again.

Even today, Laxmi works from dawn to dusk. She is in her fifties now. Her children have grown up and though not very well educated they have managed to make two ends meet comfortably. When asked about her the best thing in her life, her face creases into a smile.

At the end of the day, Laxmi is a happy soul.   She has her own house. Her children have urged her to stop working and lead a peaceful life.  Thus, goes the story of Laxmi from rags to riches in the true sense!

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