Bant: A poor couple has surmounted their disabilities and set an example for others here in Bhadrak district. They have been doing vegetable cultivation and eking out their living at Nimagadia in Kadabarang panchayat.
Their grit has made them stronger than their disabilities. Abhimanyu Jena and his wife Sabita prefer not to depend on others’ mercy for survival of their four-member family.
Affected by polio in childhood Abhimanyu was unable to walk while his wife has a bump on her back. She can’t walk straight.
Abhimanyu recalled the days of childhood. “When I was 16, my legs were affected by polio. As my family was economically weak, my treatment could not be possible. Gradually, my legs got thinner and got paralysed,” he added.
He still did not lose hope and made good use of his hands.
Sabita can’t walk straight because of the bump.
The couple has two sons. Abhimanyu and Sabita have been managing to keep their pot boiling by raising vegetables, pulses and paddy on their own land.
That apart, the couple has cultivated paddy on an acre of land on a sharecropping basis. Their whole day is spent toiling on farmland.
Sometimes, they have to go for daily waging to meeting their expenses.
They are a little relieved as they receive subsidized food stuff on their ration cards.
With their meagre income, they manage to afford the education of their children.
The couple goes to the block office to receive pension on a tricycle.
The couple said if the government provides some financial assistance or loan linkage, they can expand their farming to augment their income.
PNN
