A woman who dares to dream

The doctors declared that Prajakta won’t survive. She was just a newborn baby. Sangita and her family lost hope when they could not find an incubator for Prajakta. They asked for help from everyone and tried to knock on the doors of hospitals around. But there was no incubator available. 

For poor people like Sangita, getting an incubator for kids or a hospital bed is a daunting task. The bed density (number of hospital beds per 1000 population) in India is 1.0 while in low-income countries it is 1.2, in middle-income countries it is 2.4 while in the world it is 2.7. Overall, 72 percent of hospital beds in India are available in urban areas, while 28 percent are in rural areas.

Sangita and her family were helpless and couldn’t do anything for the baby which was suffering from low birth weight, irregular temperature, and unstable vital signs. They had 4 hours to save her, but as these horrifying 240 minutes passed, fortunately, nothing happened to her and she survived. Sangita says it was a “miracle” but not many miracles have happened in her life.

Her Story 

Sangita Dattatrya Sabale living is a mother to four daughters. She is 38-year-old and has been working as a maid since she was just 10 years old. She was married off at the age of 12 and delivered her first daughter when she was just 16. Though child marriages are banned, hundreds of Sangitas are married at a young age and forced to produce children when they themselves are still children. 

“Getting married at such a young age was not easy for me. I was unaware of the meaning of marriage”, Sangita laments. All her dreams to get educated and be on her own crashed with marriage. Her family members insisted that the bridegroom was educated and she would not get any such marriage proposal. Her husband, Dattatrya Sabale says that he is a civil engineer. Sangita agreed and married to Dattatrya. She delivered twin girls Prajakta and Prerna when she was 18.

Like many other families in India, the Sabale family also wanted sons to take the family tree forward and also take care of their dotage. But Sangita continued to give birth to girl children.

Life Challenge 

As Prajakta was growing she was not able to utter words or even take baby steps. Her twin sister Prerna was a normal child but Prajakta didn’t show any growth. 

About 2-3 months later, Sangita and her husband realized that their daughter is differently abled. They took her to the local hospital. Three surgeries were conducted on Prajakta following which she was able to talk, laugh and recognize people around her. But she is not able to walk and had to stick to a wheelchair. 

Prajakta is now 19 years old and studies at a school for differently able children in Shukrawar Peth. Sangita endured years of struggle. Her in-laws did not accept Prajakta because of her condition but Sangita and her husband always stood head-strong and never gave up.

However, the struggle hasn’t come to an end. Sangita said, “This struggle will continue to exist for the rest of our lives. For me, for Prajakta and my family”.

They faced many financial issues and still do. Due to these circumstances, they had to take loans from people in order to meet the financial needs for Prajakta’s surgeries. After a few years, the doctors said that more surgeries would have to be performed but these surgeries involved several risks. Also, doctors didn’t offer any guarantee that surgeries would be completely successful. Finally, the family decided that they would not go for any further surgeries on Prajakta.

Presently, Sangita serves ten houses as a maid and yet manages to take care of her home and her daughter. Her other three daughters also take care of Prajakta and help with household chores whilst the mother is working outside.

Sangita loves her four daughters equally. She says her husband has been supportive in managing everything with her. She adds “My mother has always been there through our thick and thin, without her, the situation would’ve worsened,” said Sangita. 

“There were times I felt completely disheartened during the time of handling adversities. But I wanted to see Prajakta in a good condition and the belief that she will get better kept me going,” Sangita added.

Making it Possible  

Sangita’s story is the story of thousands of girls who are deprived of education and better opportunities in life. In families struggling for survival, girls become burdens, and marrying them off is the only answer.

The family, society, and destiny have left very few options before Sangita in the battle of life. 

The only weapon she has to fight all the odds is her love for her daughters and her dreams. She is not allowing her hope and her dreams to die. She dreams for better lives for her daughters and trusts that someday there will be a ray of hope in the darkness all around.

Sangita says, “I live for my children. Everything I did or do in my life is for them. Never thought of myself in this battle. I want to educate my daughters and provide them with a good life. Even though everyone lost hope, I was persistent. The struggle is endless; nevertheless, I never intend to give up”.

And she is aware that there will be no miracle that will change her and her family’s life. She has to rely on her hard work and challenge the situation. This gritty woman continues to dare to dream despite all odds. 

No permanent employment, no good wages, and no dignity. Society, family, and destiny are testing her grit to live, but Sangita says that she is not the only one who is facing these challenges. At a time when happiness is like a mirage, Sangita hopes to convert the mirage into reality. “ It’s possible. I shall try my best to make it possible” she says holding back her tears.          

She is not ready to give up! 

( Sanika Jain is an SYBAJMC student at Vishwakarma University: Pictures by Sanika Jain) 

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