national highway near Kunduli of Koraput district and life of Paiti
Paraja , an old blind tribal woman from Sirimunda village of
Semiliguda block was made . There were virtually no problem in her
life till Ghenu , her husband who was also a blind was alive . He
used to beg on the highway and keep her happy , she said with a smile
in the face .
There was no complain made by the couple ever , even though there
was no pucca house for them that was granted to many others under
Indira Aawas Yojana as they were a great support to each other ,
she added. But Paiti's life was derailed after Ghenu died a few years
back and more so with the death of her only son Saadhab a few
months back .
The old age pension she received from the government was
insufficient as she had no one else to support in her blindness ,
she said . However no setback in the life was strong enough to
challenge the courage to survive in her and hence she was back on the
highway to continue her silent struggle that her husband had been
doing for years when he was alive .
She calculates the size and distance of the vehicle from far by
listening to its sound and adjusts her position accordingly to raise
her hand properly . She also recognizes the voice of the donors who
drop coins on a regular basis and asks their welfare whenever there
was a long gap . While regular commuters on the highway, knowing her
condition , stop and drop coins in her plate , occasional travelers
rarely stop . However irrespective of the nature of the commuter ,
Paiti continues to raise her plate silently without any complain
with the arrival of each of the passing vehicle .
Even though with growing age , the capacity to stand for a long
time was decreasing and so also her income, she was determined
to fight on her own struggle till her last breath without being the
burden on any particular person in the village , she added .
