24, Sep 2015

36-year-old farmer Meena Chhadidas, who lives in a broken house with her four children, talks about how making ends meet is a daily struggle
Sudhir Suryawanshi @ss_suryawanshi
Losing her husband to a prolonged illness has forced 36-year-old farmer Meena Chhadidas — resident of Karjat in Jalna district — to live a beggar’s life.
Her situation turned from bad to worse due to the drought that has been affecting the farmers in Maharashtra for the past four years. Meena’s 1.5 acre land has not yielded any crop in the last three years. Due to this her financial condition has been affected badly and making ends meet is a daily struggle for her.
“Ever year, ahead of monsoon, we spend money to buy seeds and fertilisers but it’s been useless. In fact, this sowing exercise has increased our loan amount,” said Meena, who lives in a broken house with her four children.
Her hardships began following her husband Dadasahed’s death. “When my husband was alive, I used to live a carefree life. He used to manage everything and whenever we needed money, he used to get it from our friends and relatives. But after his death things have become pretty bad,” said Meena.