Shakuntala Devi’s story is one of survival, resilience, and the gradual rebuilding of dignity through community support and livelihood opportunities.
Born into difficult circumstances, Shakuntala Devi, a resident of Bhaski Gram Panchayat in India, found herself pushed to the margins when she was denied access to social security benefits after the death of her husband. Left with two young children and no reliable source of support, Shakuntala struggled even to secure daily meals for her family.
To survive, she began collecting firewood from nearby forests and selling it for small amounts of money. Life became even more uncertain during one monsoon season, when the mud house she lived in with her children collapsed in the middle of the night. Though they escaped unharmed, the incident deepened her insecurity and fear about the future.
Recalling those years, Shakuntala says, “My two young children would ask for food, and I was not even able to feed them properly.”
Her turning point came through Trickle Up’s UPRP initiative in Bhaski Gram Panchayat. During a Tola Sabha meeting, she was identified as a highly vulnerable household and connected to support systems designed to help families in crisis.
With assistance from the Samuday Sathi, the Gram Panchayat Help Desk, and local Panchayat representatives, several critical gaps in her access to entitlements were addressed. She received support in securing Aadhaar documentation, obtaining her children’s birth certificates, and accessing benefits under the Maiya Samman Yojana, which provided immediate financial relief. She was also prioritized for housing support under the Abua Awas Yojana.
Alongside these efforts, Shakuntala began rebuilding her livelihood step by step. Through regular training and mentoring, she took up vegetable cultivation using trellis farming methods, earning a monthly income of approximately INR 5,000–6,000 ($52-62 USD). She supplemented this income through backyard poultry farming and recently received 30 ducks under the Mukhyamantri Pashudhan Vikas Yojana, helping diversify and strengthen her household earnings.
Today, Shakuntala’s life reflects stability and renewed confidence rather than constant uncertainty. “For the first time, I am able to save my own income and use it for my home and my children’s education. This gives me confidence and hope to keep progressing in life,” she says. Shakuntala now saves regularly through her savings group and bank account, giving her a sense of financial independence she had never experienced before. With her earnings, she has contributed to her family’s wellbeing by purchasing a gate for her new home and a mobile phone.
Most importantly, she is now able to invest in her children’s future. Their education, once overshadowed by the daily struggle for survival, has become one of her greatest priorities.
————–
