Bamra: Till the other day, residents of Mahulchhapal village under Pindapathar panchayat of this block in Sambalpur district did not know who Radhika Majhi was. But no longer as she is now a household name.
If today people know Radhika, it is because she is giving shelter and playing parent to six children who are, for all practical purposes, parentless.
True, there are many such Radhikas and organisations in this world, who are doing such commendable work. What sets apart Radhika from the rest, however, is her poor economic condition, despite which she has taken it upon herself to take care of the six children.
Twentyeight-year-old Radhika’s family comprises her husband Manbodh Majhi, daughter Namita (7) and son Ayush (4). Besides, of course, the six children she is bringing up and who are as much a part of her family.
As Manbodh does nothing to keep the family’s pot boiling, the entire responsibility is on Radhika. To feed the family, she wakes up early in the morning, finishes regular domestic chores and then goes out to work as domestic help.
At the end of the day, she returns with Rs 100. With this and 20 kg of government’s Re 1-a-kg rice, she keeps her family going.
Reminiscing the day when she brought Deepa (12), Anjali (12) and Abhisekh (6) home, Radhika, clad in a pink cotton saree, says, “It was two years ago when Labani Majhi (40) and his wife Jambabati (35) of Kisanpada met with an accident that claimed the life of Jambabati and turned Labani physically disabled.”
After the mishap, there were none to look after the three children who had been left to fend for themselves. “Being a mother, the condition of the three children deeply moved me. Without giving a second thought, I made up my mind that I would give them shelter, come what may,” she says, engulfing the three children in embrace.
When asked about the other three children, she narrated an incident that happened four days ago. Raju Majhi killed his wife with a wooden plank over some family feud. Police rounded up Raju in this connection, turning their two daughters Somobari (7) and Nilima (4) into virtual orphans.
“I brought these girls to my house and they are now living with me. Apart from these five members, I also have a physically-challenged boy in my family,” says Radhika, keeping all her children by her side.
Despite her acute poverty, kind-hearted Radhika’s determination to bring up the children is no small thing, some locals observe.
At the same time, instead of providing any kind of help, some neighbours are not hesitating to criticise her.
Villagers who are in praise of Radhika for her courage and dedication want that the district administration provide some succour so that she can bring up the children decently.
PNN