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From Plenty to Penury, to Possession and Pride!
Zugal Bala of Bassudebpur Landless Women s Group (ASA. Manikgonj. narrates her story of fall and rise
WHEN Anil was in class three and Babu in class four it was the time of our happy days. Then we lived in our own furnished house at Horina with seven children and we had a sprawling orchard to depend on But the happy days did not last long. Within a few days Anil had to carry basketful of cigarettes (for pedling) instead of bagful of books (to school) And Babu had to become a carpenter.
Anil s father was a ^chool teacher One day. due to a sudden stroke he became paralyzed and after suffering for eight months he expired. To give him a standard medical treatment the whole orchard had to be mortgaged. Within two months ail the family savings was finished Experienc ing the pinch of starvation, my children began to leave home in search of work My eldest son went to Dinazpur with a neighbour to work as a carpenter The second son engaged himself in selling cigarettes I had to sell two bighas of land for survival of the family A period of long five years passed in that way But all on a sudden | had to face a si kk s|kh k lor the second iiiih Mt last daughter Rita fell into tin river and drowned. Thai war die innathiy Padma swallowed everything except only the homestead
Fat ing such a miserable condition my ht|slands elder brother sold out (hat house for sixteen thousand taka. From a relative he bought nine deci mals of land for us at Paddarpara on condition that we could pay only 16 thousand taka at that time and the rest Tk 20,000/- be paid within ten years, otherwise the total land with the paid amount would be forfeited.
For a long time Anil and Babu were working in Dhaka. The family was dependent on them. By that time, my two daughters were grown up. To manage bridegroom for them was beyond the range of our capacity, because there was also the question of dowry, besides expenses. Considering all these facts Babu got married by taking Tk 7.000/- as dowry himself to enable, me to overcome my iwo daughters' wedding costs. But lew days later. Babu set up his family across the border and virtually cut off the communications with us. It was not possible for Anil alone to maintain the family and hence we had to starve almost regularly.
I became more afraid and upset due to the fact that five years had already passed but only six thousand taka was paid against the house Tk 14,000/- . should be paid within the fol-■ lowing five years. By this time Swapan. my fifth son had passed SSC examination obtaining 1st division with two letters. He should get himself admitted into a college. And that would also entail expenses.
We were afraid perhaps we
ufould have to lose the domes tic land forgood. I shared my ins and outs' with Shilamoni - a neighbour and worker with ASA (Association for Social Advancement) Observing the hapless condition she listed my napie In ASA Bassudebpur Landless Women's Grsup to help me by gtvfeig some cash taka to sustain with
After three months of entry, the Samity gave me Tk 1.000/ as the first credit. I bought some firewood with Tk 700/ and hens with Tk 200/ . Swapan was admitted to Manikgonj college with the rest amount The instalments were repaid jointly sometimes from poultry income and sometimes from Anil Seven to eight months later the fire wood was sold at Tk 1.650/-and six hens at Tk 300/ With the help of these amounts. Tk 2.000/ was paid against the house.
In the second year I received Tk 2.000/ from the group Three goats were bought with that. And instalments were repaid from poultry Income. At the end of the year we sold two goats and got Tk 3.600/-. from which Tk 3.000/- was paid against the homeslead land. By that time Swapan had passed HSC examination. He cherished to make himself a doctor But It was impossible for me to bear the expenses and hence he got himself admitted to B. Sc class.
In the mean time, the Samity gave me Tk 3.000/ as the third tefm credit. The total .imouiu was used lor the previous loan repayment purpose The Instalments were almost repaid from poultry in come. Swapan was one of the good students al the college though he got In th support from the family Then mv daughter Shikha was in class eight and Swapan often found telling something about me- to his sister. Sometimes a question arose In my mind. "I am a member of landless women's group and is that a matter of hesitation for them?" But one day I got to know Swapan was only inspiring his sister! Swapan expressed himself. "You became a member only to keep our life moving, to stand against poverty. Tk 8.000/ has already been repaid (against the house) within three years. We also can repay another Tk 5,000/- within a few months which also would come from the group. It is easy to collect a few hundred taka but to manage thousands Is very difficult' but for the group. You also have a regular savings and profitable poultry rearing. You could continue our study only involving yourself in the samity at the right time. And step by step we ■ have also become the owner of the house. I can't understand why the question of shame would arise at all. How it is prestigious to move from door to door like a refugee! It's ouf pride that you could gain the power to sustain."
— /ISA case study