‘‘Anyone who dines with us once, becomes ours forever… ’’

It will always seem impossible until it's done. Fifteen years ago, when I set up a small tea stall by the hills, no one thought that I'd one day be running a successful restaurant, let alone ...

‘‘The world doesn’t require grand gestures, but just everyday acts of kindness and empathy to keep moving forward.’’

“Having completed my Master's in History, I had applied for and gotten a job at Dvara KGFS, seven years ago. I was part of the ...

‘‘It is my chance now to give back to the man who stood by me through thick-and-thin’’

 “Ours was a love marriage. My husband and I met each other, and we fell in love. He was from the same community, so thankfully my father obliged. We...

‘‘…All I ever had was my hard work and integrity, which no one can take away from me.’’

“I skipped my education when I was just 11 years old and started looking for work to support my family as we were facing financial hardships at home. I fou...

‘‘My studies were the costliest asset that they could offer me…’’

 “My parents were both into farming, and since my childhood, I have rarely seen them take a rest. On days when farm-work wasn’t feasible, they took up odd da...

‘‘I chose to define what is considered ‘normal’ life for me…’’

“My parents and I started noticing signs when I was in early primary school. I wasn’t able to run as fast as the other kids or carry heavy things around....

I'm just grateful that, in my way, I can give back to the village that I grew up in... I was born and brought up in a small village near Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The village has a small population and households here primarily run retail shops. While the village may lack the action of a city, this is w...

‘‘I know that he will be walking beside us…’’

“Soon after we got married, my husband and I worked hard together and set up our brick-kiln business from scratch. My husband became known as a respectable and honest businessman in the village ove...

We chose to see the silver lining in the dark cloud that passed us by...

I set up this provision store of mine six years ago. Over the years, my husband and I ensured a steady but sure rise in income and in the variety of products that we sold. We were able to manage the household expense...

Every day has something new to offer

My sisters have always had a huge mark in shaping my life and bringing me up. They taught me the value of fending for oneself and not relying on anyone for anything, especially finances. Though our parents, who were both farmers, ensured that our finan...

‘‘To stop working will make him feel very unlike himself’’

“I have been working since I was ten years old. I have had to work very hard to get anything in life and have worked predominantly as an Agri labourer. Unfortunately, the money was never enou...

‘‘My job taught me that all our lives are very different from each other’’

 “I got the job of a ‘Wealth Manager’ at Dvara KGFS right after I graduated with a BSc degree in Computer Science and I’ve come a long way sinc...

‘‘When we love and respect the people around us, that’s exactly what we receive in return too’’

“Growing up, I was a very shy girl. I hardly used to speak to my peers in class, let alone adults. Even while in college, I just stuck to one or two...

Tamilmani Mayavan is a resident of Ponparappi village, Ariyalur District. Her husband was an agri wage labourer and the sole earning member of the family that comprised of him, Tamilmani and their son, Raja. In 2012, Tamilmani’s husband deserted the family and ran away, leaving Tamilmani an...

“I will continue to work till the day he asks me to stop, until then I wouldn’t stop for anything”

“I got married in the final year of my bachelor’s in literature course when I was just 20. I had wanted to become a police officer. I even got shortlis...

‘‘What keeps you alive and what makes you feel alive can be the same thing…’’

“My husband and I come from a family of farmers. We did quite well for ourselves in the initial years of our marriage with the income from our land. Since the past d...

“I moved to this village after my marriage. My husband and I really cared for each other and wanted to start a family. Unfortunately, for the first ten years of our marriage, we were child-less. The thought of not having a child took a very heavy toll on me.

My husband was scared th...

‘‘Knowing that I built my life on my own, will let me sleep peacefully…’’

 “My wife has stepped into my printing shop only once in the past five years. She says the shop makes her feel claustrophobic and gasping for breath. Well,...

‘‘Knowing that he will never break his promise gives me enough strength…’’

“My husband and I were married for more than 25 years, and though it was an arranged marriage, he was exactly the kind of man I wanted to build ...

‘‘I was so confused as to how we all remained very poor even though my dad worked very hard…’’

 “My father worked as a daily labourer. As a kid, I used to see him go out for work every morning and then come back late into the nig...

‘‘As a mother, I only want to keep providing …’’ “My life isn’t a roller coaster ride like most people claim life to be. Every morning I wake up at 5 am, personally pick the stock of vegetables that I have to sell every day, send my daughters to school, ...

Indira Appavu is a resident of Puthukurichi from Perambalur district. She lives with her husband, a daily wage labourer and two daughters. Since the family largely depends on agricultural wage income and had no great savings or alternate income source, getting their daughters educated and married...

‘‘I was so confused as to how we all remained very poor even though my dad worked very hard…’’
“My father worked as a daily labourer. As a kid, I used to see him go out for work every morning and then come back late into the night, exhausted to even utte...