A year and a half ago, the life of Gagan Rozy from Asha’s Peeragarhi Slum turned dark when her husband went to prison after a fight with a neighbour. Rozy fell into depression, isolating herself and her daughter. She even blocked her house’s gate with an e-rickshaw out of fear.
Trapped inside their house, young Pari, Rozy’s 8-year-old daughter, a member of Asha’s children’s group, faced hunger and loneliness. She crawled through a small hole, seeking help from neighbours for food, and shared whatever meagre meals she got with her mother. After a month of isolation, Pari returned to the Asha Bal Mandal.
Shabnam, the team leader, further counselled Pari to bring her mother to the centre, and slowly, Rozy overcame her hesitations and started coming. Through the mahila mandal meeting, Rozy became comfortable discussing her personal situations and learned from others’ experiences. With time, Rozy began participating in activities like sharing potluck lunches and discussions. Asha became a place where she slowly started coming out of depression and loneliness. Today, Rozy takes care of herself and teaches her daughter valuable lessons along the way. She confided that she had once feared solitude and was afraid to talk, but the value classes and the asha mahila mandal meeting had empowered her to overcome those fears and become confident.
Now, Rozy is a regular visitor to the centre, where she finds solace and imparts wisdom to her daughter.
