Andhra Pradesh - Others   

A pull at the heart strings

S. Harpal Singh

An inhuman landlord and a displaced mother and sister prompted the brothers to sweat it out during school holidays

ICHODA (ADILABAD DT.) : Ichoda MRO G. Shiva Kumar has perhaps added a fresh chapter to the `How to solve.... problems' series by pulling out a poor family from the morass of debt. He paid off the Rs. 3,000 debt of Meesala Laxmi from personal funds so that her children go to school again.

Laxmi, a poor Scheduled Caste agricultural labourer from Sonala in Boath mandal had migrated to Ichoda in search of employment where she found herself unable to pay Rs. 3,000 house rent accumulated over a period of eight months. As a result, she was locked out of the house by the land lord who seized even the books of her sons Santosh and Shankar who had come home for Dasara from Sonala SC hostel where they studied in sixth class.

"We found the children working in a local hotel for the daily wage of Rs. 50 each determined to pay off the mother's debt", recollected Krishnapalli Ravi, ward member from the SC Colony.

For a cause

"I found myself in a tricky situation. Not only was Laxmi's family faced with hunger, the land lord too had lost a precious chunk of earnings through the rental which was his only source of livelihood. The children's determination to salvage the family from the debt trap and an equal enthusiasm towards studies put me on my way", remembered Shiva Kumar.

"Without a second thought I decided to clear Laxmi's debt from personal funds. This saved the day not only for her family but also the poor land lord. The children could go to school", he added.

Laxmi and her daughter Meena have now been given shelter in a hut owned by Ravi. Proposals for Governmental help like a house site and relief from relevant funds are also in pipeline.

"It may be a small step, but I wish my endeavour is a giant leap for Santosh and Shankar", observed the MRO.

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