Hope Makes Her Alive

Sony Kumari (20 years) is suffering from Dwarfism and her height stagnated at 3 feet 2 inches only. She is the youngest daughter of Mr. Sitaram Yadav and Mrs. Somri Devi of village/panchayat/post-Bagodardih, district-Giridih, Jharkhand. She has two elder brothers also but they live with their wives & children separately. Her father is a small farmer while mother does household works and sometimes as a labourer also. Considering Sony’s physical constraint and family situation, these illiterate parents have paid proper attention to her schooling and brought her to the school run by Vanvasi Vikas Ashrama, an NBJK network NGO at Bagodar, Giridih. Sony studied there up to class 5 and completed class 10 from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalay (a residential govt. school), Bagodar. Currently she is doing her graduation at ParshwaNath College at Dumri, about 25 km from her place and passed 5th semester examination of B. A. (Geography Hons.).  

But Sony is a much curious person and she is in hurry to do something more. When she was identified under the program on Rights of PwDs in Jharkhand & Bihar with support of AVI-BLF (UK) and was offered a two months tailoring training course at NBJK (Hazaribag) including a sewing machine, she accepted this happily and joined the training on 8 April 2018. Earlier she shown inclination towards BCA course but switched over to Tailoring after 4 days only due to her weak English. Now I am allright and enjoy this new learning, Sony says. Tailoring teacher Md. Minhaz and fellow trainee girls appreciate for her intelligence as well as the will to learn and social skill.

When asked about her inspiration, Sony praises her parents for all types of support they provided and still motivate her to achieve any job/livelihood. I want to complete my master degree anyhow but feeling afraid about resources, she shares. Sony has a ration card and she gets disability pension of Rs. 600 monthly but never on time. About a decade ago, she has received a tricycle that became defunct now. Sony’s mother is her best friend and both are closely attached. About marriage, Sony rejects any such idea and wants to be self-dependent firstly.