What Latha Didnt Know

On Sunday, she decided to buy herself a sari from her savings. It was on Monday that the petrol price went up; she had no choice but to dilute her funds even further as she drove her children to school. The younger one, pinned for an ice cream, it off course had to be from the fancy store. Wednesday was declared bandh by the local politicians. All her chores came to a screeching halt. The banks, shops and even the buses and autos were stuck. She bought more petrol.

She woke up on Thursday morning to the ringing of her cellphone; apparently Shanti Bai would not be coming to work today. She swept, she scrubbed, she washed, she cooked, and the day was surprisingly short. The next day the newspaper unleashed a surprising horror, ONIONS it screamed! After a good 2 hours of toiling, she realized that her stock of precious onions were over. She made a 20 Min trip to the nearest general store, stood in line for another five and got home to a very hungry household. They had to settle for 2 weak looking onions.

Saturday seemed promising. She armed herself with her purse and set out to pay her long due bills. On the way back, she wondered if just how many people treated the visibly oversized clerk to “Chai & Nashta “. On Sunday, as she made her way to the modest shop to buy a modest sari, she knew her purse was lighter.

As her long and unpredictable week came to end, she leaned back on her dilapidated cane chair and thought to herself, ‘if only there were a way out of the chaotic mess!’

What Latha didn’t know is that hers was but one woman’s thought that echoed in the world’s biggest democracy that we Indians take great pride in. What Latha didn’t do is find these women. What Latha didn’t understand is the power of their collective strength. The Power Of 49