The International Women’s Day was celebrated with much enthusiasm on Tuesday. While it had a meaning for the enlightened ladies and women who have made a mark in society, for the ones who struggle for existence, the day rang hollow.
Anita Jena, who has a betel shop in Satya Vihar near Rasulgarh here, did not know about the International Women’s Day or about its celebration.
“Women’s Day celebration serves no purpose for me. If I don’t give time to my shop, then we three people would not get any food,” Anita said, trying to underscore how life is a harsh struggle for her and her family.
Her two daughters, Biswarupa and Swarnadeepa, are studying in Class-II and Class-I, respectively.
Anita lost her husband before five years. “My husband Manoj Jena was a cycle mechanic. He died of a heart stroke. As I have two female kids, my in-laws thought that I am of no use anymore. They threw us away,” said Anita.
“With no second thought, I came to Bhubaneswar from Khandapada with my kids, as I could not depend on my poor parents,” she added. Anita started her business within six months of her husband’s death.
“I had a lot of expectations from my life and had to let go all my expectations, after my husband’s death. Now I have one aim that is to educate my children. I am praying God to give me enough strength to labour hard to run my shop and earn money for their studies,” she revealed.
Kanchan Biswal (40), a physically disabled lady, has also a betel shop near the AG Square here in the city. Though she has her own shop in the busy place of the city, she also did not know about the Women’ Day and its celebration.
Kanchan, the eldest daughter of her parents, was born physically challenged. However, her mother took extra care by massaging her body, so that she was able to crawl only at the age of 10.
When Kanchan felt neglected and a burden over her family, she left for Bhubaneswar at the age of 25. She managed to arrange a small cabin and started selling Paan. Over last 15 years, she has been in the business. Her shop-cum-residence is a 2/3feet cabin roofed with a black holed tarpaulin.
She earns around Rs5,000 per month from the shop. A few good hearted persons also give scanty amount of financial help for her survival, she said.
“I don’t know what International Women’s Day is. Nor have I any interest in it. All I want is I have an enclosed safe shelter where I can take rest comfortably,” she said.