Showing posts with label Talda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Talda. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Virtually An Orphan, 5 Years Old Rimi Is Fighting Thalassemia Singlehandedly

5 years old Rimi Sardar is suffering from Thalassemia. Worse, she is forced to fight it singlehandedly.

Why singlehandedly? Because she is now virtually an orphan. The only elder she has beside her is Padma, her 50 plus maternal grandmother. And Padma herself is physically disabled, with her right hand amputed.

The sweet girl hails from a small village called Talda in eastern India, in the South 24 Parganas district of the state of West Bengal. The village has witnessed some bitter political struggles between two local political parties, and these struggles often turn violent with the indiscriminate use of fire arms and other lethal weapons.

Rimi’s mother was shot dead in the month of May. She was casting her vote in a local “Panchayat” election, when she was shot by a miscreant. It was in this same incident that Rimi’s granny Padma was also shot and injured, virtually losing her right hand.

On the other hand Rimi’s father and some other members of the family – all accused of being involved in a political clash - have been awarded life terms. They are all now in jail.

The end result - Rimi and her granny have been left in the lurch.

The almighty is now the only hope for Rimi.