Mute spectators of rain havoc

HUBLI: It is raining hard in Kurubagatti village in Dharwad district and Yallavva and her daughter Gangavva are sitting in front of their house, without talking. After all, not much of their one-room house is left intact after the recent rain __ two of the four walls have collapsed and the roof has come down in some places. Secondly, Yallavva (85) is deaf while Gangavva (65) is blind.They have no one else to call their own.
Yallavva was married to farm labourer Ramanna Badeppanavar. The only thing he possessed was a small house. He died several years ago. Yallavva has been working in the fields to raise her only daughter who was born blind. Some years ago, a village leader helped Yallavva get old-age pension. Thus, the only stable income the duo had is Rs 400 per month. Though Gangavva is eligible to get disabled pension, she is yet to apply for it. She said nobody told her about it.
Though poor, they were contented and life was going on without disruption till the heavy rain lashed the village. Besides their house being damaged, the clothes and utensils washed away and the foodgrain they had stored for months began to rot. Now they have nowhere to go and nothing to do. That is why they sit outside their house, watching the rain in silence.
Yallvva narrates her horrid experience: "The first time it rained, we were sleeping inside the house. Thankfully, we were far away from the wall and escaped alive after the wall collapsed. We were unhurt but we lost everything."
The wood stove and some utensils were stuck under the debris of the wall. The first two days they survived on rotis given by fellow villagers. The women dug through the soil and got back some vessels so that they could cook and eat. This went on for a week. But the rain on Tuesday night worsened their condition. Water entered their houses and they could not even sit inside. They could enter the house only on Wednesday. By evening, they were waiting for some relief. "I think it is our fate. We have to suffer it. There is little we can do about it," says Yallavva.